Switcharoo
by Prophe-Cass
Summary: The opportunity has finally come up for Ladybug to meet up with superhero teams around the world and be at designer school to do it. But to complete her goal, she and Chat Noir must trade Miraculous. Introducing: Miraculous: Tales of Mister Bug and Lady Noir! Post Reveal. (Discontinued/Eternal Hiatus.)
1. Chapter 1

Lady Noir and Mister Bug looked out over the city, gazing at the people walking, chatting, and working around the Louvre.

"You ready?" Lady Noir asked, frowning down at the familiar landmark.

"As I'll ever be." Mister Bug hummed, straightening his back and stepping to the edge of the roof. "Let's do this."

Nobody noticed the two figures standing at the edge of the building, which was lucky; the couple was still preparing themselves.

Mister Bug fiddled with his necklace that held the two magical earrings, and looked at his girlfriend, her black hair pulled back into a long braid, her excited, but nervous, smile lighting up her whole face.

Mister Bug took one last deep breath, then called out to the people below. "People of Paris, may I have your attention?"

The citizens looked up, gaping at him in shock, no doubt wondering where their normal heroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir, were.

Mister Bug waited until a citizen had whipped out their phone to continue.

"My name is Mister Bug, and this is Lady Noir. For the next few months, we'll be replacing Ladybug and Chat Noir as they attend to some personal matters. Despite not having as much experience as they do, we're here to aid you as well as we're able." Mister Bug lifted his hand in a single wave, grinning at the crowd. "As long as we're here, your safety is ensured."

The crowd didn't cheer. Instead they stood stunned, as if unsure what was going on.

By the time even one of them recovered, Lady Noir and Mister Bug had already backflipped off the roof into a back alley.

The moment they touched down, with a silent command, their disguises fell away.

Mister Bug's mask revealed a young boy with yellow hair and bright green eyes.

Behind Lady Noir's mask was a blue-eyed, dark-blue-haired, pale-skinned, smiling girl.

"How'd I do, Marinette?" The boy asked, dusting back his golden locks.

"You did amazing!" Marinette tugging on the ponytails that had miraculously replaced her braid. "Couldn't have done it better myself!"

"That means a lot coming from Ladybug." The boy chuckled, grabbing her hand tightly.

"Aw, thanks, Chaton." She giggled, squeezing back. "You're not so bad yourself."

The boy hummed an immodest noise of agreement.

The two began to leave the ally, phasing into the busy streets of Paris, France.

"When are you leaving for your…'round the world trip?" The boy asked, sighing deeply as he led her deeper into the crowd.

"Um…" Marinette thought for a moment. "Nine days."

"So soon…"

"Well, it's why we did this whole Miraculous switch. So you can take care of akumas, Adrien, while I'm gone."

"I only can hope these people can trust me. I don't want to go through all the hoops we had to jump through to make them trust us all over again."

"Me neither." Marinette paused, a light frown tugging at her face. "You know what we need?"

Adrien nodded, glancing at her. "Ladybug. And Chat Noir."

"Yes! If we talk to the news, they'll have to trust us! The new us, anyway." Marinette clapped her hands, excited.

"We'll have to be careful. We also have to mention the fact that you'll also be leaving Paris sometime soon." Adrien mentioned, frowning.

"I bet I could ring up Nadja and ask if we could place an announcement."

"We should wait a day or two until the news goes around town of these new super heroes." Adrien suggested, beginning to get a little excited.

"For the next few days, Lady Noir and Mister Bug should be the ones doing patrols." Marinette decided. "That way the sight of us is more familiar."

"Hey, don't you mean Mister Bug and Lady Noir? I am, after all, the leader now."

"Chaaaaat." Marinette complained, drawing out the word.

"M'laaaaaaaady…" Adrien mimicked back, rolling his eyes. "Relax, it was a joke. But I agree with you. Should we go our normal way, or a different route?"

"You're the leader now, aren't you?" Marinette challenged, smirking at him.

Adrien moaned softly, glancing sideways at her. "Really?"

"You brought this upon yourself, Adrien." Marinette teased, winking.

"You're the worst girlfriend I've ever had." Adrien decisively announced, scowling at her.

"And only girlfriend, which automatically makes me the best, as well." Marinette leaned against his shoulder, and could feel him deflate, wrapping an arm around her to hold her tighter against him.

"You're right about that." He smiled, a low rumble in his throat.

The two heroes had learned that, at a certain time tiny effects of their Miraculous wore off on them. After nearly two years of having the Ring of the Black Cat, Adrien had begun to purr involuntary whenever he was happy. Marinette, while hosting the Ladybug Earrings for the same amount of time, began to feel her knees bend whenever she got nervous. It was that small ladybug part of her trying to release poison from her leg joints, but such an effect only actually happened when she was transformed and was being ruthlessly mauled. (That accident with Plerana - a plant akuma - was when she first experienced such a strange effect, and she now had a scar embedded in her back from the adventure.)

Now, as Adrien purred, Marinette found herself leaning further into his arms. "Silly kitty." She mused, laughing.

Adrien forced himself to purr louder, chuckling to himself at Marinette's expression, his girlfriend's originally pleasant face going from cheerful and thoughtful to looking like she knew he was trying too hard.

"No kiss for you, Adrien." Marinette hummed.

Adrien fake-hissed, but, before he could speak, Alya and Nino suddenly appeared in their line of view, speeding up to catch their two best friends.

Marinette and Adrien had previously left their friends behind at the louvre because Adrien 'wanted to show Marinette something'. The words had been an excuse to get away with Marinette to make the announcement, however. 'After I show her we're heading out' Adrien had finished to avoid Nino and Alya looking for them later on.

Turns out, that planned failed seeing as how their two friends were struggling to catch up.

"Marinette!" Alya panted, out of breath.

"Adrien!" Nino said, appearing on their other side, shaking his head.

"You two are fast walkers!" Alya huffed.

"Just show them the video." Nino groaned, clutching his head with his hand.

"Oh~!" Alya squealed, pulling out her phone and holding it out, a play button in the middle of the screen.

Adrien hesitantly pushed it, already guessing what it was.

The super-couple pretended to be surprised when Mister Bug shouted out his oath to the people, and Lady Noir hung back shyly, smiling lightly at the crowd.

It was amateur footage, as could be expected from such a long distance, but clearly Alya had taken it, since there was no other possible way she could have collected it so quickly.

Honestly, the whole reason Marinette and Adrien had chosen the louvre was because Alya had been there at the time.

"That's amazing!" Marinette gushed, staring at her friend once the video ended. "New superheroes to defend Paris!"

"Hmm. Aren't they a little too…new to be battling the advanced akumas that Hawkmoth sends?" Adrien ventured cautiously, playing dumb.

Marinette elbowed him. Hard. It was enough to make him squeak, and glare at her like a hurt cat.

She ignored him, pretending that she hadn't even touched her boyfriend when Alya and Nino gave the two of them confused looks.

"What if Hawkmoth takes advantage of their inexperience?" Adrien wondered aloud, before Marinette posed her elbow again.

Adrien let out a small squeak, worriedly looking at the ready-to-attack joint.

"Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Queen Bee can help Mister Bug if he has trouble. They're more experienced at this then he is." Marinette quipped, her look daring Adrien to argue.

Marinette missed it, but Adrien mouthed Help me! to the couple who stood parallel them.

Alya and Nino exchanged a look and shrugged at his silent plea. But, being the two good friends they were, they decided to help him.

"So, who's house are we going to study at?" Nino asked, glancing at his school bags.

"Wait, I thought we weren't going to study together until tomorrow…" Marinette mused, checking her phone'd calendar, ruining Nino's weak inquiry.

"Um…yeah, Dud- uh- Marinette! I was asking about yesterd-I mean tomorrow!" Nino's nervous excuse came out rushed, his eyes widening as his girlfriend sighed.

Adrien decided that he really shouldn't ever ask his friend for help ever again. He was so bad at dishing it out.

"We're studying at Marinette's. Obviously. We gotta live it up until she leaves! She'll be gone all summer."

"Designer School, right?" Nino recalled, thinking back to it.

"That's right!" Alya praised, grinning. "I can't believe how many major cities you'll be going to. Rome, New York, Moscow, London-"

"-Cairo, Hong Kong -" Marinette continued.

"-Mexico City, Sydney." Adrien finished.

"You're also going to Seattle, right?" Nino asked thoughtfully, looking down at his former-crush.

"Yep. That's less major, but…" Marinette shrugged. "You know."

Adrien's phone suddenly beeped, and he looked down at it in surprise. "Aw, dang it. I need to head home for a Chinese lesson."

"Oh, man, bad luck." Nino sympathized.

Adrien, in such a low voice that only Marinette could hear, mumbled "soon that luck will reverse."

Marinette snorted, holding back an outright laughter, shaking her head.

"You'll be free tomorrow, right?" Nino asked, hoping against hope that he would be.

"Note why we're studying tomorrow." Adrien winked. "At Marinette's, remember that."

"Oh, don't worry, Adrien." Alya reassured him. "I'll make sure he remembers."

Adrien nodded, a sharp pain squeezing in his heart as he though of Marinette leaving Paris for a full nine weeks. How would he survive without her patient guidance?


	2. Chapter 2

**I was explaining ML to my younger brother, but when I got to Carapace and began explaining him, he got super confused. He asked me what his name was again, and when I told him, he laughed and said he thought I said 'Carrot-face'. Needless to say, he always calls Carapace 'Carrot-face'. Pls help. He knows his name. He just refused to say it.**

 **(:)**

 **Quick Guest Review Response: Akarenger, thank you so very much! It means a lot to know there was someone who enjoys this book so immensely. (Especially someone I don't know!)**

 **I knew that there was no Kwami interactions in there, but while writing I wasn't sure how to put it in. So…this chapter has some Plagg to make up for it. The superheroes will be OCs. I have not watched any other Zagtoon shows, except for Zak Storm. They're all OCs, though a few will be based off of people I know, like two of my brothers, and, due to my remarkable ego, myself.**

 **(:)**

 **Final Author's Note: PLEASE. Someone. I have a question…a lot of people seem to think that Adrien's favorite food is croissants and that he likes anime. Has this all been proven cannon?**

* * *

Marinette, honestly, couldn't understand why Adrien complained about Plagg so much.

The cheese-loving Kwami had an adorable, laid back, cheesy - pun intended - personality, and an adorably soft body.

Honestly, how could anyone not love him?

Marinette discovered the day that she first brought him home that Plagg had a deep passion for cheese, and, after further investigation, discovered that he had often been neglected from his greatest love because Adrien quote-unqoute 'Didn't want to smell like stinky cheese.'

Who cared if you smelled like cheese? It was just an excuse to buy more of the same cheese for the Kwami, without seeming suspicious.

"So, why kind of cheese today, Plagg?" Marinette inquired, glancing over at the black Kwami as he relaxed in his velvet bed of dirty socks. The dirty socks had been his idea, because, apparently, they smelled almost as good as stinky cheese. Marinete let him.

"Camembert. Extra runny. Old…moldy. You know how I like it!" Plagg ordered, cracking one eye open. He knew he could never tell Adrien that he was 'the best Chat Noir he had ever had' again. Marinett beat her boyfriend for that placement easily. Why hadn't Plagg ever had a female holder before? He kinda wished he had so he could experience this laid-back, relaxing life previously. Were all females like this? Maybe. Probably not. Marinete was an angel.

"Sorry for the wait, Plagg. It'll be half an hour before the cheese will be delivered." Marinete apologized, finishing up ordering the cheese on the computer.

Plagg shrugged, going back to relaxing. As long as he got it, that was okay with him.

"Do you need anything else?"

Marinette asked, looking over to the large pile of homework she had to get done by the next day, the last day before Finals.

Adrien, Alya, and Nino were coming over to study later in literally seven minutes, and she really needed to get on with it so that she looked productive. Of course, the three of them knew she actually wasn't when it came to school work, but it helped to look the part.

"That's it." Plagg yawned, waving her off. "Get to work, kid."

Marinette nodded, grinning at him. "I'm going to put you in my drawer, mon petit ange."

"Fine." Plagg grumbled, squeezing his eyes shut as she carefully picked up his bed and maneuvered it into the drawer.

"I'll get you if there's an akuma." Marinette promised him, pushing the drawer shut.

Plagg didn't respond, or maybe he did and she just didn't hear.

Marinette tripped over her feet as she ran back to her other desk, tripping over her feet and then picking herself back up, picking up the stacks of paper and pushing them onto the ground.

She wasn't sure how it started, but the four of them had begun doing homework on the floor since there was more room. Except when they were at Alya's house. Every time they did it on the floor there, tiny footprints from her twin younger sisters, Ella and Etta, dotted the papers. They actually never even did it at Alya's house because they hardly ended up getting any homework done, since the boys always ended up frantically wrestling Nora and Alya and Marinette ended up playing with the younger two.

Marinette snickered at the memory, spreading out the papers around her in a semi-circle, setting down a calculator and a few pencils. In the center of the room, within easy access for any of them, she left several spare sheets and pencils, along with other extra office supplies.

She had just finished setting up when her trap door flew open, Alya breaking in. The moment her feet hit the floor, she cupped into herself and did a superhero-roll over to her traditional spot, next to Marinette.

"Whoo!" Alya cheered, looking proud that she had accomplished it. "Best roll yet! Hey, Marinette!"

"Hi, Alya! Did you bring Nino along?" Marinette asked, a smile pulling at her lips. "Or did you forget? You know he won't show up by himself."

"Re-lax, girl, I brought him along. He's waiting for Adrien in the bakery." Alya shrugged, flapping her hand.

"Ah." Marinette shuffled through the small deck of notes written on index cards, looking down at them. "Alya, I have a question that I kinda wanted to ask you in private."

"Sure, girl? What's up?" Alya asked, settling down as she took off her glasses to clean them.

Marinette bit the inside of her lip, then continued. "I'm leaving in eight days."

"Yep."

"I'll be gone for nine weeks."

"I know."

"To Rome, Seattle, and Moscow."

"Not to mention six others."

"But…those three…Alya, I know you know. Those three cities have Miraculous heroes in them. Rome has two, Blue Jay and Ratette." Marinette listed, counting them off on her fingers. "Moscow has one, Icicle. Seattle had four, Glide, Èyú, Swoop, and Grey Wolf. I know you keep up on everything and anything Miraculous-related, so how come you haven't said anything?"

Alya blinked at her, surprise on her face as she was stunned into silence.

Then she snorted, a burst of laughter exploding from her.

"Marinette! You really don't keep up with the Ladyblog, do you? I've been posting about nothing but your trip since the last akuma attack!"

"You also posted about Mister Bug and Lady Noir."

"Yeah, but besides that!" Alya sighed, flapping her hand. "Literally, I've been posting about your trip a ton. Between you and me, if you don't take at least a hundred pictures of the superheroes, I will seriously turn into Lady Wi-fi again."

"You just want to see how Mister Bug and Lady Noir will fare against her." Marinette teased.

"Girl, you know I'm not denying it." Alya laughed, shaking her head. "But, really, though, you seem so chill about them! If I didn't know better, I'd say Ladybug and Chat Noir switched Kwamis, and somehow you knew. Or, a bigger scoop yet! You are Lady Noir!"

"Well, if I am or if I'm not, I refuse to tell!" Marinette grinned, shrugging at her friend.

"Tell her what?" Nino asked, his head sticking up from the trap door.

Marinette yelped, jumping up and almost climbing up the wall in surprise. "Nino~! You surprised me!"

"Yeah, that was the plan, lady-dude." Nino grinned, finger-gunning Marinette. "Alya has like, a sixth sense so I can't scare her, but you bet I can startle you!"

"Aren't you supposed to be waiting for Adrien?" Alya scoffed, frowning at him.

"He arrived. He's downstairs." Nino shrugged, nodding his head to the side. "Marinette's parents are keeping him imprisoned down there, Alya."

"Let me guess, they're chiding him for being 'too thin'." Marinette groaned, letting Nino get into her room before she went out the trap door herself.

"You know it! Poor guy, being a model doesn't make an easy life." Nino pouted, watching Marinette go down a few rungs.

Marinette turned back to him, beaming. "Luckily, when he turns eighteen later this year, he plans on moving away from his house."

"Then he'll be off to college, right?" Alya asked, frowning. Adrien was about a year older then all of them; there was about a precious time slot where Alya would be his age for about two weeks, and then Adrien would have another Birthday. The only reason he was in the same class as them was because he accidentally began homeschooling a year late, so was still a year behind the usual school program.

"Then we'll be off to collage!" Marinette corrected with her winning smile before disappearing fully down the ladder.

Marinette knew with a roll of her eyes and a sniff of her nose that her parents were packing Adrien's arms with boxes loaded with goodies.

She also knew from experience that he would be trying to hide as many as he can into his book bag, so he could have them at home. Ah, the hard life of a model, always forced to diet.

The only time they could was when they snuck it, or an extra treat every now or then.

She entered the doorway, watching with amusement as Sabine and Tom finished piling up the boxes, Adrien's face filled with gratitude, his cheeks already swollen with macaroons and - most likely then ever those - croissants.

He noticed Marinette and turned to her, his smile wide, showing the chewed goodies in between her teeth.

She groaned, closing her eyes in exasperation. "Just hurry up. We have schoolwork to do, and I hate leaving Alya and Nino alone."

Adrien barely managed to close his mouth to swallow the food, grinning at Sabine and Tom, giving them a nod of gratitude. He followed his girlfriend out of the bakery, a slight skip to his step.

Marinette sighed, stopping in the stairwell. "Are you going to pack those away before we head upstairs? I don't think it's a good idea to carry them up the other four flights of stairs."

"You're right." Adrien nodded, then put on what he called his kitty-eyes, the green irises sparkling. "Help me?"

"I hate you." Marinette's grumbled, but gave in. He had gotten the expression from that one time he had helped her babysit Manon, and had discovered how weak Marinette was in regards to it. It was really annoying how he somehow looked cuter then Manon when he did it, and actually taught Manon how to pout more and to make her eyes wider.

Marinette just about strangled him for that.

Marinette sighed at the memory, holding all five pastry boxes in her arms carefully while Adrien picked them up one by one to load them into his bag.

After a moment, he sealed his book bag and held the last box under his arm for them to snack on while they studied, and carried it up to Marinette's bedroom.

As Marinette predicted, when they arrived, the discovered Alya and Nino heavily flirting with each other, Alya nestled in her boyfriend's arms.

"Alright, let's get studying!" Adrien helped Marinette out of her trapdoor, smiling at the three of them as he slid his pastry box next to the art supplies.

Alya scrambled out of Nino's arms to grab a macaroon, and Nino went back to his normal spot.

Marinette sat down in between Adrien and Alya, across from Nino, and they began working, spreading out the worksheets.

"I have a question." Nino announced, pausing with writing in his chemistry answer, looking up as Marinette with confusion.

"Shoot." Marinette nodded, never moving her eyes from the papers before her.

"Why do you have to travel the world for Designer School? Wouldn't it be easier to stay here, in Paris, with us?"

"Because she needs to meet superheroes." Alya jokingly deadpanned, shrugging it off.

"Better education." Adrien commented, smiling at his best friend.

"You're both right." Marinette admitted, avoiding the fact that Alya was more right then she knew. Frowning at the papers in her hands, she explained. "Nino, while, yes, I could stay here with you guys to study, it's better and more educational to travel the world to see the different styles from across the globe first-hand. Seeing superheroes that originate from different cities other then Paris is just a cool bonus."

"If you see them." Nino pointed out, a disappointed expression crossing his face.

"Puh-lease, Nino." Alya scoffed, shaking her head at her boyfriend, as if somehow he had offended her. "The baddies those heroes fight are like Hawkmoth, they can't sit still for longer then a couple of days. If Marinette plays her cards right, she's end up seeing them."

Nino thought about that. "Who are the dudes they fight."

"In Rome, they battle Baba Yaga, a woman who has stolen some Miraculous relics for her own evil, twisted purposes. The only reason why she hasn't destroyed the whole country of Italy yet is because her creations are defeated time and time again by a duo, like Ladybug and Chat Noir. Except they're apparently siblings, not a couple. They go by the names of Ratette and Blue Jay. Next, in Moscow, it's an entire army preparing to overthrow the Russian government, a small step to their quest of overthrowing the world. They're held back by a single, powerful super heroine, Icicle. Finally, there's the two duos, that, when united, form the Invincible Tetrad. Èyú, and Grey Wolf, Glide and Swoop. They battle this big crime family that specializes in drug dealing, kidnapping, and theft! Does that sound awesome, or what?"

"I guess. I still prefer fighting Hawkmoth." Nino sighed, then caught himself, eyes widening in horror. "Dude! I meant I still prefer living in a city where the only baddie is Hawkmoth, and whatever that peacock guy is. Heh-heh…"

Alya stopped herself from face-palming just in time, and Marinette had to force herself not to groan aloud.

Adrien just sat there, oblivious to Nino's slip of tongue as he continued with his physics.

"Oh!" Alya, thankfully, thought of a subject to dispel her boyfriend's previous mistake. "Now that we're all here, I have a theory about Mister Bug and Lady Noir."

"Yeah? What's that?" Marinette asked, the four crowding together to look at Alya's phone.

"Well, you guys remember Rena Rouge?" Alya asked, pointing to a picture of the superhero.

Nino choked in the background.

"Well, her hair color, the brown fading to white, is unnatural, and nobody, nobody I say, has that hair color except for Rena Rouge. What if her Miraculous changes her hair while she in her superhero version?"

"Okay…what does this have to do with Lady Noir and Mister Bug?"

"Well…" Alya scrolled to a picture of the two new heroes, grinning from ear to ear. "Lady Noir and Mister Bug look just like Ladybug and Chat Noir! The only real difference is that Lady Noir has way longer then Ladybug. What if her Miraculous changed her hair length to make her look different? What if they're the same person, just with a Miraculous swap?"

"Well…" Adrien and Marinette were both stumped. How were they going to get out of this?"

"And finally, after looking up a recording of Chat Noir, I analyzed his voice with Mister Bug's. There's only a slight difference, but I chalked it up to the distance and lack of proper equipment."

Marinette felt her face go slack, zoning out as she tried to find a good excuse or theory.

Adrien, however, had fortunately thought of something while Alya rambled. "Why would they switch Miraculouses, though? Besides, Lady Noir's eyes look kinda green, not blue like Ladybug's. Also, she hasn't spoken."

"Thank you for asking." Alya giggled, beaming at Adrien. "What if Ladybug has to leave town? They could have switched powers while she's gone, and could be practicing. Or, if she's already gone, Lady Noir could be their kid!"

Adrien looked at his hands so Alya couldn't see him blushing a crimson red.

Marinette had to disguise it by rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I thought you said that you ran scans on Ladybug's voice and determined she was about our age. How would she have a kid by this point?"

"Eh. I coulda been wrong." Alya shrugged.

"So you could be wrong now." Nino teased, nudging his girlfriend.

"Aw, shut up, Nino!" Alya giggled, shoving her boyfriend back.

"She thinks we have a daughter." Adrien whispered, chuckling to himself.

"Whoops." Marinette hummed back, groaning.

"We named her Bridgette." Adrien joked, nudging her playfully.

Marinette silently thanked God that Alya and Nino were still busy flirting. "No way! We named her Emma."

"Bridgette."

"Emma."

"Bridgette."

"Rena."

Adrien and Marinette jumped, looking over at the smug expressions of Nino and Alya.

"…What?" Marinette blinked, confused.

"You were arguing about what you were going to name your future daughter, right?"

"Um…"

"I'm not deaf, girl!" Alya hummed, giggling.

"We'd name our daughter Rena." Nino told them, beaming. "We've already decided."

Marinette realized with a bit of nostalgia that she was going to miss their joking teasing a lot. Before she could voice her thoughts, Alya's phone chimed.

"Hey! New comment on the Ladyblog!" She announced, squinting at it. She read it through, then whispered "Akuma."


	3. Chapter 3

**HA! The Kwami-switch Ladybug's name was proven to be Lady Noir! That's great! Did I predict, or did I predict? (I know that almost everyone predicted, but…dude. I'm happy.)**

 **(:)**

 **Guest Reviews!**

 **Guest: Honestly, I don't really mind where Baba Yaga is from. In here, she's just a woman who wants to conquer Italy. She uses Miraculous artifacts for magic, and just used the name.**

 **But I'm glad you like it so much!**

 **(:)**

 **Akarenger: Oh, okay. I'll see if I can get around to watching those when they come out on Netflix.**

 **She probably won't be. Actually, you probably won't be able to tell which IS me. I'm terrible at writing myself, besides, I like it when the characters are 'only human' and have flaws.**

* * *

"Well, we'll see you two later!" Alya hopped up, grabbed Nino's arm, and began to drag him to the trap door. "We've got a battle to record."

"If I die, I want Adrien to have all my stuff!" Nino announced before Alya pulled him away from the opening and into the apartment below.

Adrien kicked the trapdoor shut behind them, glancing at Marinette. "Let's go."

Marinette pushed open the desk drawer, and Plagg groaned in the sudden light. "Is my camembert here already?"

"Sorry, Plagg." Marinette apologized sympathetically. "We need to transform."

Plagg grumbled under his breath, stretching and taking his time waking up.

"Still think he's a little angel?" Adrien asked, opening his school bag for Tikki.

"He usually is." Marinette shot back, defending her current Kwami. Upon seeing Tikki, however, she nearly melted in joy.

"Tikki! It's so good to see you!"

"Oh, Marinette." Tikki giggled, allowing Marinette to hold her against her cheek. "It's hardly been a day!"

"I know Tikki, but still!" Marinette smiled, releasing her again.

"Com'n, Tikki, we need to transform." Adrien ordered, interrupting the reunion gently.

"I'm here." Plagg grumbled, pushing himself from the drawer and floating over to Marinette.

"Tikki-"

"Plagg-"

"-spots on!"

"-claws out!"

The room filled with bright green and red lights for about fifteen seconds as the two transformed, finally dying away gently.

"I'll never get over how goth I look." Lady Noir sighed, looking down at her pitch-black suit.

"I - for one - like my new suit." Mister Bug shrugged, jumping into Marinette's high bed with a single leap, pushing open the skylight.

Lady Noir followed him closely, the two looking out over the city.

"Well, the good news is that this akuma hasn't reached this spot." Lady Noir decided, frowning at the surrounding area.

"But the Eiffel Tower is nowhere to be seen!" Mister Bug pointed to where the grand landmark usually was, frowning in suspicion.

"Are you kitten me?" Lady Noir groaned, frowning at the empty spot.

Mister Bug froze, his gaze slowly shifting over to her. "…what? Did you just make a pun?"

"As if you don't do it all the time." Lady Noir scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I'm just being a copycat."

Mister Bug smile grew, beaming at her in pleasure. "I love you."

"I know that, Bugaboo." Lady Noir flirted, grinning at him.

"Hey, I thought you hated me calling you that." Mister Bug complained, though his eyes sparkled.

"Yeah. I do." Lady Noir teased, rolling her eyes. "But you've called me that dozens of times. About time I got back at you."

"What if I like it?" Mister Bug grinned sheepishly, winking.

"Oh, would you look at the time! We've got an akuma to catch!" Lady Noir hastily extended the baton, soaring away.

"This conversation isn't over!" Mister Bug called after her, launching out his yo-yo.

"Ha-ha! If you can catch me!" Lady Noir called over her shoulder - before smashing into a building.

Mister Bug winced as he saw his girlfriend collide with the building, even more worried when she didn't move to try to get herself off of it, her staff still in hand. (Barely.)

Mister Bug landed on the roof above her, peering down at the super heroine. "M'lady? Are you okay?" He inquired cautiously.

"I'm fine!" Lady Noir sprung up suddenly, leaping into the roof. "I just need a minute to adjust to the different form of transportation. It's hard."

"Not as hard as your yo-yo." Mister Bug flashed back.

"Hey, at least you haven't smashed into a building yet." Lady Noir grumbled, rubbing her nose drearily. "And you better not make a point to. It hurts."

Mister Bug relented with a grumpy nod, using the yo-yo once more to grab onto a chimney.

Lady Noir was more careful this time, making sure her baton landed in the right places, but keeping an eye on the buildings in front of her.

Mister Bug swung his way onto a building near the Eiffel Tower, waiting for his girlfriend to catch up as he surveyed the scene.

It appeared that this akuma could teleport, stealing precious objects that they held and then disappearing before they could retaliate.

Every object she fed into a small device she clutched in her right hand, the machine glowing purple after every feed.

It was obvious that she was using the device to teleport, since every time she did it she flipped a small, yellow switch on the side.

As he was noticing all these things, Lady Noir landed down beside him, frowning. "What's the situation?"

"Teleporter woman. I'm guessing the akuma's in the device she's holding." Mister Bug told her, frowning at the akumatized woman curiously. "But it might be in her headband. What do you think?"

"Trial and error, I guess." Lady Noir shrugged.

"Really? No big, long explanation over which would be more probable? No 'it's obvious' look? That's it?"

"You're the boss now. I'm just your super-flirtatious sidekick." Lady Noir shrugged.

"Is this what Chat Noir's like?" Mister Bug's nose wrinkled, his eyes narrowing.

"Um, yeah. Pretty much." Lady Noir teased, looking at the streets below.

"Man, Chat's annoying."

"You're Chat."

"No, I'm Mister Bug."

"It doesn't take a detective to figure out you're Chat."

"Mister Bug."

Before the two could continue their light-hearted argument, the akuma screamed out the order for the two best-known superheroes to appear. "Ladybug and Chat Noir! Hand over your Miraculouses!"

Before Mister Bug could blink, Lady Noir disappeared into the plaza below, landing near the teleporter in a smooth motion.

"I'm sorry, Ladybug and Chat Noir can't come to the phone right now. But leave a message! Beeeeeeep!" She giggled, remembering the voice mail she had kept for the last three years.

"Ah, the new superheroes!" A purple mask appeared over the akuma's eyes, and she grinned. "Don't worry Hawkmoth, I'll make quick work of them. Name's Rebirth. Catch me if you can!" She flipped the switch on her device, and was gone.

Huh? Where's she go…?

"M'lady!" Mister Bug's voice pierced through her thoughts, startling her. She heard the familiar whirr of her former yo-yo, and she looked behind her curiously.

Mister Bug was spinning the weapon around and around, defending her against Rebirth's teleporting attacks.

"I'm supposed to be the protective one, you know!" Lady Noir grunted, taking her stick in hand roughly.

"Failed that step!" Mister Bug flashed back accusingly, Rebirth teleporting again.

This time, Lady Noir felt the slight pulse of air that preceded Rebirth's appearance, and got her staff ready.

The moment Rebirth began to appear, her baton extended, smashing into the akuma and trapping the woman to a nearby building.

"You were saying?" Lady Noir sniffed, glancing at Mister Bug with distaste.

Rebirth grunted, flipping the switch again.

This time, the staff vanished along with her, and Lady Noir gasped.

"She might use it to fuel her device!" Mister Bug announced, his stretching wide in horror. His suspicions were confirmed when Rebirth appeared a short distance away, holding the extended baton. In her hands, it shrunk to normal size, and she opened up the slot on it's side to slip it in.

Even though the staff was too big for the hole, somehow it shrunk and was able to fit easily, falling into the slot easily.

"Hand-to-hand combat, then." Lady Noir shrugged, smirking playfully. "This'll be fun. Any ideas to hurry up the battling-montage?"

Mister Bug considered this. "Um…well…akumas are always after something." Mister Bug murmured, frowning slightly. "The best way to defeat them is to figure out what they're after." Mister Bug glanced around hastily, trying to figure it out. Spotting a few onlookers, he grinned cockily. "Hold her off." Mister Bug ordered, his girlfriend, taking a few steps towards the civilians. "I'll be right back."

"You got it." Lady Noir nodded, getting into a fighting position as she jumped into action.

Mister Bug did a perfect backflip - like he had seen Spider-man do in multiple comics, tv shows, and movies - over to the closest civilians, trying on his 'in-charge' impression.

"Do you know what's up with the akuma?" Mister Bug asked, frowning at the onlookers.

"Hey! You're that new superhero, Mister Bug!" One exclaimed, instantly pulling out her camera.

"Yes. And that's Lady Noir." He pointed. "Listen, I need your help. Have you seen anything going on with this akuma?"

"Yeah!" A man shoved his way to the front of the crowd, nervously twiddling his thumbs behind his back. "She's Faith Robinson. She was in a science competition today, but we - I was one of the judges - withdrew her because she had created a teleporter, which isn't scientifically probable, and is certainly dangerous. She was upset, but I never imagined it would turn to this." The man turned around, gesturing where the Eiffel Tower used to be. "The Eiffel Tower was one of the first things she took. Why aren't Ladybug and Chat Noir here?"

Mister Bug felt a squeeze of pride that the civilians trusted their normal heroes so much that they were hesitant to trust anyone other then them.

"I'm sorry, but they're busy, today. Lady Noir and I will step in as best we can. Thank you, sir, for your assistance." Mister Bug nodded thankfully, hoping back into the battlefield.

As he charged towards the akuma, Rebirth managed to land a lucky strike on Lady Noir, sending the young heroine flying, landing into the ground near Mister Bug.

"Ladyb- uh, Noir!" Mister Bug caught himself just in time, pivoting to head back towards his girlfriend.

"I'm okay!" Lady Noir assured, springing up before he reached her. "Man, this suit can take a lot of damage. The ladybug suit can't take nearly this much!"

"My ladybug suit has armor."

"Who cares?!" Lady Noir charged back into action, her boyfriend doing his best to catch up.

Rebirth vanished right before they crashed into her, and the two went back to back instinctively, searching for the teleporter to appear again.

She re-spawned to the side, where both of them were unguarded, using a side kick to collide with Lady Noir's stomach to knock her into an unsuspecting Mister Bug, then vanished.

Lady Noir scrambled off of her confused boyfriend, mumbling an apology. "Sorry…she just…appeared out of nowhere."

"Yeah." He nodded, pulling himself to his feet. "But, honey, don't be so hard on yourself. It's our first time."

"Right. Deep breathes." Lady Noir inhaled sharply, closing her eyes as she did so.

"Back to back. This time, stay aware of your sides." Mister Bug ordered, beginning to press his back against Lady Noir's. "Be careful. She could appear anywhere."

"Right." Lady Noir readied her fists, frowning at the surround area. "Where could she-?"

Both of them had no idea what hit them. (Well, they knew it was Rebirth. Obviously.) Despite their careful watching, they obviously forgot to look up, where, apparently, Rebirth could teleport to. She smashed their two heads together with a swift kick and was gone.

"Ugh, that's it!" Mister Bug groaned, drearily rubbing his skull. "Lucky Charm!" He pulled out his yo-yo, summoning some clothes pins. "Clothes pins?"

"What're you going to do with that?" Lady Noir blinked, surprised.

"I… have literally no idea what to do with this." Mister Bug admitted. "Please help?"

"If you don't know, how should I?" Lady Noir quipped.

"You are usually the smart one!"

"Oh, just figure it out!" Lady Noir flashed, rolling her eyes playfully. "I'll try to cover you." She stood close to him, frowning as she glanced about.

Mister Bug frowned, holding the package tightly. He glanced up, noticing how a street light had four different branches, each one sprouting out into a light bulb, which illuminated the street.

"M'lady, I think I just might have an idea." He grinned, turning back to her.

Rebirth chose that moment to appear, kicking him in the chest as she burst into laughter, eyes glazing menacingly.

Mister Bug literally felt the wind knocked out of him, and he choked, shuddering.

Lady Noir whipped around, punching uselessly at nothing as Rebirth disappeared, her jade eyes wide with fright. "M'lord! Are you okay?"

Mister Bug gasped for air for a moment, groaning. "First of all; love the nickname. Can we make that a thing? Second; no, not really. I'd kinda love it if we switched back."

"Fifty seconds ago you were loving your new suit."

"But that was fifty seconds ago! I was young!" Mister Bug complained, taking in a breath of the air. "Now, hold her off. Don't use cataclysm. I'm going to need it for my plan to work.

"Got it." Lady Noir posed again, already sick of the fighting position. "I'm ready whenever you are."

Mister Bug used the yo-yo to hoist himself to the top of the streetlight pole, beginning to wrap his yo-yo around it loosely.

He kept an eye in the air - any everywhere - for Rebirth, stopping his watchful eye when the akuma appeared next to Lady Noir, the Superheroine taking a quick rebound and ducking under her strike. However, when Lady Noir tried to deliver a strike, Rebirth teleported.

"This is just as annoying as Troublemaker!" Lady Noir called up to Mister Bug, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"At least she can't phase through things!" Mister Bug flashed back, grinning slightly.

"Teleporting is so much worse."

"At least she hasn't gotten our Miraculouses yet." Mister Bug shrugged, still weaving his yo-yo and using the clothes pins to hold it in place.

"Hey, it's-nngh!" Lady Noir gasped as Rebirth delivered another blow, the villain disappearing yet again.

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?"

"I told you, this armor can take a lot." Lady Noir snorted.

"No more small talk." Mister Bug ordered, finishing with his weaving. "It's distracting."

"Right."

When next Rebirth appeared, Lady Noir, without the distractions, once more dodged, using the momentum to connect a single shot to Rebirth's chin before the latter vanished once more.

"Shoot." She hissed, clenching her fists.

"Over here!" Mister Bug ordered, landing down underneath the street light. Suspended by the poles was a net, ready to drop down within a moment's notice.

Lady Noir backed towards him cautiously, standing next to him as she glanced around.

"Use Cataclysm against the pole the moment Rebirth appears." Mister Bug briskly commanded, turning his back on the net.

Lady Noir copied him, aware that Rebirth would appear wherever she found an opening, which would be right underneath the net. "Cataclysm!" She called, letting the dark energy swirl in her hand. Apparently I do need superpower to destroy everything. She joked to herself, waiting for Mister Bug to give her the signal.

He was focused completely behind them, though he was facing the opposite direction. He felt a slight breeze, and focused even harder. A footstep, a slight hollow, echoing noise from the sewers below… he gave Lady Noir the signal, and she grazed the telephone pole at the same moment that Rebirth kicked them both in the back with a neat flip.

"Ha!" She cried, taking no notice of the trap. "Once again the superheroes fall at my feet! You should have enlisted Ladybug and Chat Noir for this mission!"

The two exchanged a pointed look, rolling their eyes just as they heard the net come down on Rebirth.

She let out a startled gasp, releasing her device.

Mister Bug snatched it up while the akumatized woman struggled with the net, breaking it over his knee.

Rebirth screamed something at him, but her words were lost as she collapsed onto her hands and knees, the costume vanishing from her.

The akuma flew from the object, eager to escape the two heroes.

"Nononono you don't!" Mister Bug joked, swinging out his yo-yo and catching it easily.

"Is that going to be your phrase now?" Lady Noir asked, watching as he released the purified butterfly.

"Don't go back to Hawkmoth, now." Mister Bug murmured, turning to Lady Noir. "Uh…I don't know. I just wanted to say it. It could be, I suppose."

"Please don't."

Mister Bug retort was cut off by his earring gave its three minute warning, and he gasped, touching it. "Oh! Um…" he looked down at the single leftover clothes pin in his hand, and frowned. "Do I say Miraculous Ladybug or Miraculous Mister Bug?"

Lady Noir, naturally, looked puzzled. "Do you even have to say it?"

"I think so. I'm going to just go 'Miraculous Mister Bug' and see what happens." He thumbed it for a moment before calling out "Miraculous Mister Bug!" A shower of red burst from the object, soaring throughout the plaza, returning the lost objects - that apparently powered up the device - and replacing the Eiffel Tower and Lady Noir's stick.

"Hey! It worked!" Chat Noir cheered.

"Amazing! I only saw the end of that fight, but it was sooooo cool!" Alya seemed to appear out of nowhere, running up to the two of them excitedly, Nino lagging behind. "May I ask you a few questions?"

"Nothing that reveals our identities, of course." Mister Bug took charge, naturally, standing a little in front of Lady Noir. "And we can't stay for long. Just a minute or two."

"Got it! First question: Lady Noir, did you purposely name yourself after Ladybug and Chat Noir's ship name?"

"What?" Mister Bug blinked.

"Of course." Lady Noir nodded at the same time.

"We-uh, they have a ship name?" Mister Bug continued, hardly hearing his girlfriend.

"Uh, yeah. Where have you been for the last three years?" Alya sighed dramatically.

"Apparently hiding under a rock." Lady Noir joked. "Literally the entire media uses it from time to time. It's very popular."

"We…are going to have a talk about this." Mister Bug grumbled to his partner.

"Next question!" Alya asked, excited. "Where are your earrings, Mister Bug? They're not on your ears."

"That's classified." Mister Bug grunted, resisting touching his necklace, which, fortunately, blended in with his suit.

"Okay, finally: why were you guys chosen to take over for Ladybug and Chat Noir instead of, like, Rena Rouge and Carapace."

"Well…" the two exchanged a look, thinking about that. At least she didn't ask if they were the same as Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"Um… they needed backups to take over for them if they needed. And we're those backups. They've been training us themselves!" Mister Bug explained hastily, grinning nervously.

His earring beeped again.

"Hear that? We need to get movin'." Lady Noir told them, shifting from foot to foot as she grabbed Mister Bug's hand, pulling him away.

"Yep! We do! Bug out!" He called, the two of them using their weapons to propel themselves away.

"Well. That was a very unsatisfying answer." Alya grunted. "Very. Unsatisfying.


	4. Chapter 4

**Mostly filler, because…well…Unless if you want a week-long time skip, this is the only way we're doing this. Takes place about three days after the previous chapter.**

* * *

It felt good to be back in his normal suit.

Chat Noir touched the familiar leather, sighing in relief. "Feels perfect. Though a little strange. Since I've been wearing a different suit all this time."

"This is a little tighter then the Lady Noir suit. Not to mention less goth." Ladybug agreed.

Chat Noir sighed happily, sitting down heavily on her spare bed. "When does it begin again?"

"I thought I've told you before."

"I forgot."

"You've definitely said that before. The interview starts as seven-thirty. Ends at eight-thirty."

"And it's seven now?" Chat Noir asked, checking his stick's watch.

"The earliest we can be there is seven fifteen." Ladybug told him, pacing the room. "Alya'll be there, too, you know."

"Oh, yeah, her part time job." Chat recalled, beaming.

Alya, for the past half-year, had worked off and on at the news station as a reporter and sometimes an interviewer. After promising she wouldn't say a word about the Ladyblog the entire time, Nadja had relented and let her be her assistant during the interview.

"We should be heading out, soon." Ladybug noted, glancing up at her skylight. "If we leave now, we'll have eight, maybe nine minutes before we can head in. If we wait for a few minutes, we can get there at almost the perfect time."

"And, for once, we'll be arriving together." Chat Noir joked, shamelessly proud of himself. "The first time we did this, Nadja was disappointed when we didn't."

"Well, this time I don't have to babysit Manon." Ladybug grinned, winking at her partner. "Thank God she's old enough to stay at home by herself, now."

"Yeah." Chat Noir agreed, smiling back at her. Then, thinking back to her previous pondering thoughts, he added "I think we should go now. We can talk while we're waiting."

"Right." Ladybug agreed, nodding. "So…after you?"

"I'm not Mister Bug right now, M'lady. You're in the lead now."

"Oh. Right." Ladybug could have slapped herself in the forehead for being so forgetful. In the last three days, they had battled four akumas, and each time she had stepped down to let him take the lead. She supposed her habits were becoming staples.

Ladybug didn't further the conversation, climbing up to her skylight and onto her balcony, Chat Noir following.

Most people were at home with their families at this time of night, so there were only a few people walking on the street below, and none of them took note of the two superheroes crouched on the roof above them. After all, after three years, the pizazz of seeing the two of them died down. Actually, Chat Noir had expected that the entire city would begin to get very excited when they reappeared after several days of an absence. Apparently not, though.

Chat Noir heard Ladybug sigh, and he turned to her, cat ears pricked. "M'lady…?"

"It's weird. We've been flocked by reporters so much recently that it feels strange not to have people point is out." Ladybug shrugged, sighing.

"You said those exact words to me two years ago when people stopped filming us whenever we appeared in public." Chat Noir joked, grinning like the Cheshire.

"I know. I hate to admit it, but I like the attention a Superheroine brings." Ladybug admitted slowly, sighing. "It took a few months to realize it, but it's true. I…I like being popular. Being famous."

"That'll come in handy when you're a huge fashion designer." Chat Noir said absently, shrugging. "You'll be all over the place."

"Heh. True. I can have my glory then." Ladybug pulled herself away on her yo-yo before Chat could think of a retort, and the two were off, scampering along buildings.

"This time of night: there's not an akuma in sight." Chat Noir hummed when he finally caught up. "Just feel that fresh air!"

"Mmhmm." Ladybug responded, breathing in the cold breeze that came her way. "It's so relaxing."

Chat nodded, grinning at his girlfriend. She had grown a bit uptight as the time had drawn closer to when she was due to leave on her flight. He had never seen his girlfriend look so distraught as she had these last two days. But now…she looked so carefree.

She caught him staring, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

Chat jumped at her sudden query, grinning sheepishly at her.

There was a second's pause, and then they landed on the news building, looking down at the front door from the steep height.

"Seriously, what?" Ladybug turned her full attention to Chat Noir, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll miss you, M'lady." Chat told her, telling the complete truth.

Ladybug's shoulder's relaxed fully, and she smiled. "Oh…Chaton, I'll miss you, too."

The two sat on the edge of the building, Ladybug resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm going to miss everyone here. I know nobody in my new class, and hardly have even met the teachers. I'm going to be lonely without you."

"I know you will be." Chat Noir tightened his grip around her, burying his face in her hair. Thank goodness she was short. "We can video chat every day, and you can tell me about the superheroes you meet. I can tell you about what's happening here, and I swear I'll try to help out your parents while you're gone in between my modeling hours and akuma attacks."

Ladybug smiled slightly, nuzzling him. "Thank you."

They stayed cuddled in each other's arms, watching the current news story broadcasting out from the news stand at that moment on their weapons, rolling their eyes fondly at each other as Chase Toddson, a young fencing expert, took on his challenge on - obviously - The Challenge, bravely facing off against four opponents at the same time.

"He wouldn't last a minute against Kagami." Chat Noir scoffed, shaking his head in disapproval.

"How would he do against you?"

"Well, considering how I've been fencing since the age of three… and he's been at it since he was four…I'd definitely top him." Chat grinned, shrugging it off. "'Cause I'm awesome. And a superhero."

"You'd let him win." Ladybug sighed, shaking her head.

"…"

"Admit it."

"No."

"Come on!"

"Noooooooooo!"

"-and once we get back, we'll be joining Nadja Chamack and Alya Césaire for Face To Face, once again with Ladybug and Chat Noir!" Chat's baton and Ladybug's yo-yo called out together, startling the two young heroes from their playful the banter.

"Oh! That's our cue to head in!" Ladybug called, bouncing up in excitement.

"Already? No way that was eight minutes."

"It seemed longer than eight minutes to me." Ladybug shrugged, stretching. "Shall we go in?"

"Wait." A pleased grin spread across Chat Noir's face, and he chuckled, looking like a cat who got too excited. "We can't go in the normal way. Let's sneak in."

"Why?"

"And then when they ask us which way we came in, we have to say 'secret celebrity door', got it?"

"Um…why?" Ladybug asked, eyes narrowing. Her boyfriend only thought of such outrageous ideas when it was a reference.

"Because!" Chat Noir grinned, shifting his weight from one foot to the other in excitement. "That's what I told Nadja when I first sneaked in during our original interview."

Ladybug would be lying if she

"So…you want to continue the joke?"

"Pleaaaaaase!" The big, pleading, green eyes were too much for Ladybug. "Please, M'lady! It'll be so funny!"

"What if she doesn't remember? It was years ago-" Ladybug weakly retaliated, wanting nothing more than to give in.

"Please! I'll be a good boyfriend!"

"You're already a wonderful boyfriend-"

"I'll be even better! I'll give you special treats! I'll be an amazing manikin, and help you design!"

"But you already-" At Ladybug's words, Chat's eyes became even wider - if that were possible - and his pout deepened. She struggled to make it seem like she hadn't been falling for his pitiful puppy-dog eyes and frowned at him. "Fine. But only if the question arises."

Chat's poor, begging expression vanished, repeated by a joyful smile as he bowed to her, grinning. "As you wish."

Chat Noir noted the way Ladybug rolled her eyes, purposely pretending she hadn't heard the Princess Bride reference he had thrown at her.

They made their way to one of the many secret entrances they had discovered from the times they had sneaked into the building to dispose of an akuma, making sure to make as little noise as possible as they moved along, hoping to catch Nadja unawares.

Upon their ninja-like arrival to the news room, they found Nadja and Alya seated side by side on their red couch, the refreshment table and the other red couch nearby.

The two chatted away, no doubt bonding over their love for reporting news and interviewing famous celebrities.

Chat Noir gave the signal and the two dropped down, Ladybug elegantly, and Chat Noir in style, swinging his tail as he normally did.

"Oh!" Nadja jumped, squeezing her tablet close to her chest as Alya looked ready to cartwheel to the other side of the room, her glasses slipping off her nose as the two gapped.

"You…" Nadja looked up, frowning. Then her eyes went back to them cautiously before circling the entire room.

"You two certainly know how to make an entrance, don't you?" Alya asked, fidgeting nervously. She was clearly remembering Chat Noir's visit to her room several days back when he threatened her, telling her that if she didn't act like Lady Noir and Ladybug were different people, as well as Mister Bug and Chat Noir, he would make her life miserable. Because this was a big secret, and if it got into the open…

Chat had originally meant it as a joke, but by the time he left, Alya was shaking all over and sweating, promising not to mention anything about it. (She took down at least ten posts right away.) Yeah…the poor girl was probably terrified of Chat Noir for life.

"I can't remember the last time we didn't make a scene!" Ladybug's voice brought Alya and Chat Noir back to the present, the two blinking at her in surprise.

"Where did you even get in?" Nadja asked, frowning in confusion as Chat Noir began to chug the can of Root Beer nearest him.

"Secret celebrity door." Ladybug beamed, silently laughing at Nadja's nostalgic expression.

Chat Noir let out a tiny noise of joy as he finished chugging, declaring that it was a new record.

Ladybug, remembering an important detail, suddenly frowned. "Nadja, Alya, I have a request; no romance pushing, alright? If Chat Noir and I are together, we'd rather to keep that a secret, in case if Hawkmoth gets whiff of it and uses it against us."

"We've made sure not to mention it." Nadja assured her, smiling comfortingly. "After the first time, we didn't want to risk it again."

"Thank you." Chat Noir smiled, leaning back in his seat. "We don't like bringing it up."

"Why? Have you been dating but broke up?" Alya asked, shooting straight up as she gave the super heroes her full attention.

Both simultaneously groaned, face-palming.

"What did we just say, Alya?" Ladybug sighed, shaking her head in disappointment.

"Ooh…right, no pressing, romantic questions about you. What if we ask about the two newbies?" Alya inquired, a slight gleam in her eye. "Or the other three?"

"Well…" Ladybug hesitated a bit too long, and Chat Noir sprung at the chance.

"We shouldn't give too many details away, but we can confirm a few things about the two of them…not much, however." Chat Noir sent Alya a pointed look.

"We're free to answer many questions about Lady Noir and Mister Bug. I've already asked, and Lady Noir said we could." Ladybug gave in, rolling her eyes at Chat Noir's pleased expression.

"And I've also asked Mister Bug! We're clear to answer almost anything! Key word almost."

"Oh! That's amazing! But I'll be saving all questions until the interview." Nadja assured, elbowing Alya gently.

"Oh, of course!" Alya promised, squirming in her seat a little.

"We begin in ten seconds!" The camera man told them, counting down with his fingers.

The seconds rolled by in slow motion, and finally the camera blinked on, and Nadja began.

"This is Nadja Chamack and Alya Césaire on Face to Face! We've been joined by Ladybug and Chat Noir, who are ready to answer all the questions we have about them and the new superheroes."

"Not all the questions." Ladybug reminded her, laughing.

"Hello, audience!" Chat waved excitedly, hardly having matured since the first interview. "I hope you're having as great a night as Ladybug and I are!"

"Chat~!" Ladybug teased, shaking her head.

"We're pleased to have you two!" Nadja assured them, beaming. "We're going to start off, like last time, with a question from a few callers."

Alya, looking fiercely at the camera, let a dark expression overtake her face. "Questions, everyone. Just questions."

"R-right, Alya." Nadja nodded, looking like she was stifling laughter. She pressed a button on her tablet, and the first caller appeared.

"Please state your name and question."

"Hi! I'm Mason Pin, and I just want to ask; why are Mister Bug and Lady Noir taking over as the superheroes of Paris?"

"Oh, don't worry, Mason!" Chat Noir assured, grinning. "We'll be the normal ones, but the two of them will be taking over when we're occupied with other things."

"Like for the next two months, we'll be busy. Mister Bug will be handling everything. Paris will not be without a defender." Ladybug nodded, her words more of a promise then a statement.

"Next caller. State your name and question."

"Ugh, everyone knows me, Nadja." Chloe Bourgeois flipped her hair, scowling at the reporter.

"Follow the rules, please." Alya groaned, shifting in her seat.

"Ugh. I'm Chloe Bourgeois, of course." Chloe, despite having matured plenty from being Queen Bee, still had her fits of pride, her entire body waving with snootiness. "Obviously."

"Chloe, do you even have a question?" Nadja asked, no doubt remembering the first time.

"Duh, phone girl. Ladybug, why did you choose a few newbies over Queen Bee, Carrot Face and that stupid Fox-girl?" Chloe asked, crossing her arms as she snorted.

"Carapace and Rena Rouge." Alya grumbled.

Nadja tapped her arm, gently reminding her to keep her emotions under control. It's what a good reporter would do.

"Whatever." Chloe waved her hand dismissively, turning back to Ladybug and Chat Noir, blond eyebrow raised. "So?"

"Well…"

"It's complicated."

Honestly, Chat Noir had absolutely not been expecting this question, and he could tell that Ladybug hadn't either. They knew the answer; they had talked about it. They just hadn't really expected anyone else to think about that factor. Of course, this was Chloe they were talking about. She was always the one who asked the most unexpected things.

Remembering the basics of their debate, Chat Noir explained Ladybug's side of the argument to Chloe, relieved that it could be summed up easily.

"Akumas still need to be purified." Chat explained, smiling at Chloe while Ladybug looked down at her lap. Marinette still had a thing for all the times Chloe had shunned her. She was handling it better now, but it still paced in the back of her mind, surfacing at random times.

"And only Ladybug can do that." Chat Noir continued, resisting the urge to touch Ladybug's hand to comfort her. "Since Mister Bug will have her Miraculous, he can do the same."

"Oh." Chloe frowned, thinking about that. "That's an 'okay' reason, I suppose."

Nadja waved the tab off with a "goodbye, Chloe".

The next caller, a girl named Clarity Peters, looked up with a hopeful smile, and asked "Are Lady Noir and Mister Bug a thing? Like, boyfriend-girlfriend?"

Honestly, this actually was an expected question. And they had already decided that they would share their relationship, as long as it was just with Mister Bug and Lady Noir.

"Oh, absolutely." Ladybug promised, smiling at the thought. Fans were shipping them within three days. Some people were just plain _obsessed_. For example, Alya!

"They're head over heels for each other." Chat Noir confirmed, causing Ladybug to giggle a little.

Anyone watching could tell that Ladybug and Chat Noir were definitely in a relationship.

The fourth audience member to call in, Jorden Kolby, didn't even wait for Nadja to inquire his name. "Jorden Kolby. How did you choose Mister Bug and Lady Noir?"

"They train under us." Ladybug explained, crossing her arms.

"That's all we're cleared to say." Chat Noir frowned.

Jorden just snorted and clicked off of his end.

Nadja put down her tablet, done with the callers. "It appears the fans are more interested in Mister Bug and Lady Noir now. How does it feel to be kicked down from your pedestal by some rookies?"

Ladybug and Chat Noir exchanged an amused glance, wondering what they would think if they knew the truth.

"Truth is, we don't really mind." Ladybug admitted, smiling gently. "It was good for us to learn the difficulties and responsibilities of being superheroes, and I think it'll be good for them, too."

Chat had to cling to the couch to keep from laughing. Everyone was so oblivious!

"How long will you be MIA?" Alya asked, shifting herself slightly.

"Two months or so." Ladybug told them, glancing at the camera. "Just because we'll be gone, doesn't mean that Mister Bug can't handle it. He's one of the most reliable men I have ever met."

"He really is." Chat Noir nodded, forgetting it was him they were talking about.

Ladybug rolled her eyes.

"Where is Mister Bug's Miraculous? It's certainly not on his ears." Nadja continued, tilting her head.

"I'm sorry Nadja, but we're not allowed to answer that. If we do, it will make it easier for Hawkmoth to get it." Chat Noir sighed, a worried expression pulling on his face.

"Of course. Forgive my pushiness." Nadja nodded, blushing slightly in embarrassment. "Now, how experienced is this new generation?"

"Nearly as experienced as us. Mister Bug and Lady Noir have been training and working as hard as Chat Noir and I for the past three years. I am confident in their abilities to protect Paris. The only thing I am doubtful is how they handle their new powers. But, from what I've seen from the latest akuma attacks, they're doing well." Ladybug beamed, looking to Chat Noir for confirmation.

"Oh, definitely." Chat agreed, looking quite pleased.

"There's been a few interesting pictures involving Lady Noir and Mister Bug that have been circulating the internet. If you don't mind us showing them…" Alya glanced at the two heroes, holding the tablet tightly.

"You'll have to turn it off if we tell you." Ladybug warned.

"Go ahead. I want to see how many pictures those sneaky paparazzi got." Chat Noir waved her ahead, leaning up against the couch as he settled down to watch.

Nadja nodded and flipped on the first photo.

There Mister Bug and Lady Noir were, exchanging a kiss atop a building, Mister Bug swinging his yo-yo around and around as he prepared the leverage that would help him swing away in a few seconds.

Lady Noir's stick was hardly held in her hands, the baton slipping from her fingers towards the ground as she lost herself in the romantic moment.

Obviously the cameraman had hardly been more then a meter or two away to take such a high-quality photo.

"How did you even get that picture?" Chat Noir yelped, springing up. There was something about seeing yourself kissing on a big screen for a news station that was obviously casting the broadcast live.

Ladybug gasped, covering her mouth. "Oh!"

"We have professionals." Nadja shrugged.

"Like you said. Sneaky paparazzi." Alya giggled, shaking her red hair in amusement.

"Ah. Jerks." Chat Noir nodded at Alya and Nadja's explanation, rolling his eyes as the next one went onto the screen.

There they were, Lady Noir and Mister Bug perched on Marinette's roof, gazing out over the town as they snuggled with each other, blissful smiles on their face.

"Yeah…they really should have been more careful with that. They should have at least done it on top of the Eiffel Tower." Chat Noir grumbled, casting Ladybug a glance. She stuck her tongue out at him, smirking.

Actually, the day they had snuggled on that roof, Mister Bug had actually suggested they do it somewhere more careful, and Lady Noir has just shrugged and insisted that their current place was fine.

This time, the photo was taken at an angle, pointing up. The person had been on the street below them, looking up.

"I'm pretty sure the owner of the bakery didn't even know those two were on their roof." Alya told them, arching an eyebrow in a question.

"Well, I suppose they know now." Ladybug muttered in a low voice, knowing that her parents were probably watching the interview.

"Next." Nadja nodded, waving the next photo up.

The picture was of the last battle, when the akuma had tried to get Mister Bug but Lady Noir had blocked the attack, getting punched too hard in the gut. Mister Bug was standing over her limp body, his body language showing just how angry he was, his face wrenched into an expression of pure fury, the yo-yo speeding around and around in a perfect circle.

Mister Bug had actually seen the photographer who took the photo, but he had been too occupied by the akuma to pay the paparazzi any attention.

Later, Mister Bug gave Lady Noir the 'Chat Talk™'. The 'Chat Talk™' established that the two of them were partners, and that if one died, the other was incomplete. After all, they were two halves of the same team.

Lady Noir had rolled her eyes, because she recognized the speech all too well. She had accepted it, though, just like he had time and time again. Didn't mean she listened. He hadn't listened either. (Well, he had listened to it well enough to repeat it to her, but they had both ignored it.)

"It looks like they would do anything for each other." Nadja narrated, smiling at the two heroes.

"That's what makes them such a wonderful team." Ladybug beamed at her teammate, and he chuckled at her words.

Nadja was about to flip up the next photo, but Ladybug stopped her.

"Nadja, I don't want to expose anything else about the two new heroes. Even if they're all across the internet, I would rather if we stopped looking through them. I'm sure the two of them wouldn't want anything else spilled about them. Relationships are supposed to be private, and this isn't very private at all!" Ladybug's annoyance became more apparent as she explained

"She's right. Let's get back to the actual questions." Chat nodded, obviously agreeing with Ladybug.

Nadja hesitated, an expression of disappointment crossing her face. "Of course."

"Do you guys ever celebrate your anniversaries of becoming heroes together?" Alya asked, jumping straight into the question that had been plaguing her for months. She and Marinette always celebrated that day together, because it was the day they had first become friends. Alya always looked for Ladybug and Chat Noir on their outings, though Marinette seemed less enthusiastic.

"Every year since we met." Chat nodded, beaming.

"Well, not the first year. We first started doing it on our two-year anniversary." Ladybug explained.

"Your fourth-year anniversary is coming up, correct?" Nadja asked, tilting her head.

"Yes, it is." Ladybug nodded, looking so happy.

"Will you be celebrating with your team? Rena Rouge, Carapace, Queen Bee, Mister Bug, and Lady Noir, or will it just be you two?"

"It's usually just us two…"

For the next forty-five minutes Nadja and Alya bombarded the two heroes with an onslaught of questions, poking almost everywhere except in their romantic life.

By the time the heroes finally escaped, they were exhausted, not even heading to Ladybug's house together. Instead, they went to their separate homes and collapsed on their beds, groaning into the pillows.


	5. Chapter 5

**Guest Review response:**

 **Akarenger; Thanks for the feedback! I'll make sure not to put in** ** _too_** **much filler.**

 **(:)**

 _Last day, last day, last day, last day_. Marinette repeated to herself, hurrying about her room as she finished collecting the last of the necessities for her trip.

"Don't forget the camembert." Plagg reminded her from his bed, watching with amusement.

"I have a separate bag for that over there." Marinette pointed to the backpack, shooting a warning glance over at Plagg. "No eating it before the trip."

Plagg pouted, frowning at Marinette.

"Remember to pack her computer." Adrien smiled, handing her the device.

"Oh!" Marinette pulled it from his hands, pushing it underneath her clothes. "Thanks!"

"Your charger?"

"Check!"

"Cell phone and charger for that, too?"

"You bet!"

"Hairbrush?"

"Checkity-check!"

"I think that's it." Adrien handed her the clipboard in his hands, every important item checked off from previous checks and re-checks and the current check.

"Great!" Marinette whooped, doing a little spin. "Now I can pack up the stuff I want! What time is it?"

"Four-thirty." Adrien told her, looking at his phone to make sure.

"Three hours until bedtime!"

"Or else you won't be able to get up in time." Adrien laughed, shaking his head.

"That's not the point! I have so much to do before I go!" Marinette cried, running over to her desk and grabbing her on-the-go drawing supplies.

"Let's see…saying goodbye to Alya, me, Nino, and your parents. Eating dinner…. What else?"

"Master Fu wanted to see me today, too!" Marinette cried, tripping over her suitcase in her hurry to get to…her suitcase.

"You alright?" Adrien asked, leaning forward to properly check on her.

"I'm fine!" Marinette sprang up, bending over backwards to put her sketchbook in the suitcase.

"Good." Adrien nodded, thankful that his girlfriend hadn't broken her leg. (Now, _that_ had been an unfortunate accident.) "So, what does Master Fu want you for?"

"Not sure, but I'm going to find out." Marinette promised. "I need to go soon, though."

"I'll walk you. If you want." Adrien suggested, putting a hand on her arm gently.

"That'd be great! Let's go." Marinette swung open the trap doors, gesturing him after her.

Adrien nodded, jumping down after her.

The Kwamis followed them; Tikki willingly and Plagg with a little groan as he pulled himself off from his stinky bed.

"You're spoiling him." Adrien chided, frowning in slight annoyance.

Plagg grunted something that sounded suspiciously like 'That's a good thing, buddy'.

"I know." Marinette giggled, shaking her head. "You don't?"

"If _I_ spoil him, he starts to be an even bigger annoyance." Adrien pouted, following Ladybug as she skipped down the stairs.

"Adrien, he's right there." Marinette pointed at Plagg, opening up her purse for him to fly into.

"He thinks it's a compliment." Adrien sniffed.

"I think it's a compliment." Plagg informed her at the same time, entering her purse.

"Boys, am I right?" Marinette asked, rolling her eyes at Tikki.

"You're right. They are totally annoying." Tikki nodded with fake-seriousness.

"Hey, no teasing talk with my Kwami." Adrien frowned, playfully swiping Tikki from the air between him and his girlfriend. He made sure she was okay, and that he hadn't harmed her before he put her in the inside pocket of his classic jacket.

"You forgot she was my Kwami first." Marinette quipped back, folding her arms across her chest and scowling at her boyfriend.

"No, I haven't forgotten. I just refuse to accept it." Adrien argued back, pushing open the door to the bakery.

"Hello, kids!" Sabine greeted them, waving. "Where are you off to?"

"One last date before she has to leave." Adrien smiled, squeezing Marinette's hand.

"Ah, young love." Tom recalled, clapping his hands together and smiling at them. "The best kind."

"Tom!" Sabine chided, shaking her head. Then she turned her attention to the two teens, an eyebrow raised. "Marinette, are you all packed?"

"I am!" Marinette gave her mother a thumbs-up, grinning.

"Then you may go. Be back before six-thirty." Sabine ordered, mostly talking to Adrien, as if challenging him to bring her daughter back after curfew.

"Of course, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng." Adrien nodded, bravely holding her gaze.

Sabine nodded slowly, a gentle smile spreading across her face. "Good. Go now! Or you'll be pressed for time."

Adrien and Marinette launched for the door, squeezing past an incoming costumer and charging a few blocks down the sidewalk, as if they were going to be late.

They slowed once they were a good distance from the bakery, stopping to take a deep breath.

"I can't believe you lied to her." Marinette sighed, her eyebrows furrowing. The teenager had a huge problem with lies, especially after Lila, who had gotten her kicked out of middle school three years previously. Later, Marinette had found a way to reveal Lila's true nature, but the fear of what lies could do stayed with her.

"What were we supposed to say?" Adrien shrugged. "That we were going to see Master Fu? A guy they've never heard of?"

"We could have told them we were making a quick last stop somewhere." Marinette suggested, snapping back.

Adrien hummed a bit in his throat, closing his eyes. "If it bothers you that much, we can get Ice Cream or something while we're out. That way it's kinda a date."

Marinette nodded, smiling slightly. "Yeah, that's better." She relented, taking his hand.

He clutched it back, grinning at her gently. "I'm _paw_ -sitively glad."

"Silly kitty." She laughed, shaking her head merrily at his familiar expression that resembled nothing but Chat Noir. "You're a huge dork, you know that?"

"I wouldn't be if I didn't try." Adrien flirted back, arching his eyebrow playfully.

"I know." Marinette leaned her head on his shoulder, ignoring Plagg as he grumbled about gushy lovey-dovey humans. As if he didn't talk about Tikki 24/7.

After that, the couple lapsed into silence, listening to Plagg and Tikki's quite whispers and smothered giggles as they tried to talk through the fabrics of Adrien's jacket and Marinette's purse. It was like playing a game of telephone.

Too soon, Master Fu's house appeared before them, and Marinette opened up the door, heading up to the third level where he usually spent his days, near the Miracle Box.

Adrien waited in the second floor, busying himself with tidying up his hair.

Marinette knocked gently on the door, waiting for Master Fu's summoning call before entering.

"Hello, Marinette. How are you today?" He asked, holding an ancient-looking scroll in his lap.

"I'm fine, Master." Marinette smiled, nodding at the friendly old man. "Just a few nerves acting up."

"Of course. You are leaving your home city for the first time, departing from the only life you've ever know." Master Fu nodded, rolling up the scroll as he put it beside his candles.

Marinette wondered if he knew that was a fire hazard.

"Thank you for coming, Marinette." He continued, standing up as he used his cane to boost himself up. "I was worried you would not be able to make it. You two, Plagg."

Plagg peeked out from Marinette's bag, nodding at Master Fu and his Kwami, Wayzz, as a large smile crossed his face. "Got camembert?"

"Indeed. It's in the kitchen." Master Fu directed, and Plagg dashed out.

Turning back to Marinette, he smiled. "I wish to show you something very important."

"What is it?" Marinette inquired, watching as he crossed over to the Miracle Box.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Master Fu murmured to himself instead of answered her, pressing the two dragon eyes, and allowed the box to flip open to the code. Gently, he pressed in a different code then the normal one, and another, slightly smaller Miracle Box then the normal one came up.

He put it down in front of her, looking up at Marinette's shocked face.

Smiling, he raised an eyebrow. "What troubles you, Marinette?"

"I thought there was only one Miraculous box!" Marinette gasped, staring down at it.

"Where did you presume the others came from?" Master Fu asked, looking too amused for his own good.

"I…didn't really think about that." Marinette frowned, still staring as Master Fu opened the box gently.

"These Miraculous are less powerful then the others." He told her, arching an eyebrow. "But the wielder may use each power twice before transforming back."

"What are they?" Marinette asked, peering down at the box as the twelve side slots opened as well as the top, where only three slots stood.

"First, I must explain something to you." Master Fu mused, smiling, as he shook his finger. "There are five categories of Miraculous powers. The first group is the most powerful, your Miraculous, and Adrien's." He glanced down to indicate that he knew where her boyfriend was. "Then, there are the five surrounding them, Turtle, Bee, Butterfly, Peacock, and Fox. In the third category, there are all the twelve adjoining Miraculouses. You are already aware of Dragon, Snake, and Mouse in this group. In the fourth, there is only three." Master Fu gestured at the top of the second-Miracle Box, smiling at the empty place of the white, the brooch that nestled in the grey cushion, and the necklace curled up in the tan spot. "The Lion, Dove, and Vulture. In the fifth, there are the next twelve. In this placement, there is the Miraculouses of the Blue Jay, Rat, Snow Leopard, Crocodile, Wolf, Sugar Glider, and Owl, which are already in orbit around the earth in the super heroes you will most likely meet during your voyage. There are five others, which are the Salamander, Spider, Panda, Mole, and Kangaroo."

Marinette took a good look at the box, doing the quick math. Only six of the fourteen were in place. "Master, how were all eight of the others lost?"

"Not lost. Distributed." Master Fu corrected, following her gaze. "When I was younger, I did quite a bit of traveling. When I was but thirteen, but mentor distributed the eight of them out to the cities that needed them most. Back in the day, much illegal good-smuggling was done near Seattle, due to the lack of police. Four Miraculouses were given to the earliest, most law-abiding citizens. They were never picked up, so for several generations they have been spread out, given to friends and younger generations. In Rome, three, including the Dove miraculous, were distributed."

"But the Dove was lost, correct? I've never heard of it before." Marinette asked, brow furrowing.

"I'm not sure what happened to the Dove. It is impossible for it to be used for evil deeds, so we do not have to worry about it falling into the wrong hands." Master Fu gently shook his head, looking at the young girl before him. "Do not fear. Keep your ears open, and you will hear news of it." Finally, he moved on, pointing to the lost spot of the Snow Leopard. "We also gave out this one to the people of Moscow during the Russian Revolution. Unfortunately, the keeper lost it almost instantly, and was not found until two years ago."

"Oh." Marinette frowned at the bluish-white cushion where the Snow Leopard Miraculous should have sat. "That's…. huh."

"Indeed." Master Fu nodded gravely, looking down at the small jewels. "I must ask something of you. To each city you visit, except for Rome and Seattle, will you give out a single Miraculous to someone that helps others and will rise up to the challenge? I wish for the world to be protected, but I don't dare give out ones of the top three categories."

Marinette hesitated for hardly a moment, picking up the full box and nodding to the guardian. "Of course, I will. But what of Moscow?"

"Choose a civilian to be a partner to Icicle, the super heroine currently residing there. She will need help to face her adversaries."

"Yes, Master." Marinette excepted the cup of tea he gave her, letting the steam blow gently on her face. "But…how will I get them aboard the airplane?"

"I think you will find that the metal detectors take no notice of the metal of the Miraculouses." Master Fu winked, smiling cheekily. "I still must explain the powers of the ones you are to give out." He explained, putting the Lion away in its transportable box first. "The Lion can control any of the lesser Miraculouses then it, becoming the strong leader it represents." He moved onto Vulture, then Mole, and so on, explaining each jewel power as he went. "Vulture has the power to bring back a dead one to serve as their servant until time runs out on their jewel. Mole may dig underneath large areas faster then any creature on Earth can. The Kangaroo can duplicate smaller versions of itself to help in battles. Panda can roll into a perfect sphere."

Marinette nearly choked. Every power sounded good, and could be helpful in some way, but a _sphere?!_ "Is…that all of the Panda's powers?"

"I have to admit." Master Fu looked amused, watching her. "I reacted the same way when I first learned it's power. As I've gotten older, I've learned… that the power is still surprisingly mild."

Marinette steeled herself, still trying to hide her giggle. "That's…strange."

"Indeed. However, when even the slightest bit of pressure goes to the Panda, they begin rolling. So, if they could figure out how to launch themselves forward, they could knock over their enemies like a bowling ball."

"Ah." Marinette nodded, still thinking the whole thing was downright funny. "Perhaps the Panda Miraculous was created when the concept of balls was made."

"That is the same conclusion I have come to." Master Fu admitted, nodding. After a moment in which Marinette caught her breath, he continued with the Miraculouses.

"Then, there is the Salamander Miraculous. This one can heal any wounds but works best with lost limbs."

Marinette managed to hold back her laughter this time.

"Finally, there is the Spider. This Miraculous grants the power of wall-climbing." Master Fu explained, packing away the last Miraculous. "These are the powers of the fourth and fifth categories of Miraculouses. Choose the holders carefully, Marinette. Such powers were meant to serve the greater good."

"I understand, Master." Marinette bowed courteously, smiling as she accepted the regular box he gave her, the cardboard all-too familiar. However, she knew there was a sweeter treasure within.

"Very good." Master Fu nodded, pouring a cup of tea to sip on as Marinette shifted her balance from foot to foot. "I'm presuming there is another matter on your mind?"

"Yes, Master." Marinette sighed in relief, looking toward the phonograph which hid the Miraculouses. "Adrien isn't experienced in working alone, and…I feel like the others should have their Miraculouses so they can aid him."

Master Fu gently put the empty, secondary Miracle Box back, retyping the regular code, and once more the regular one came up. "You must return the Miraculouses when you come back."

"I will, Master Fu." Marinette promised, kneeling down beside the box as he opened it.

"Pick the allies you can trust in this battle." Master Fu recited, watching her curiously as he slipped off the Turtle Miraculous from his hand.

Marinette picked up the Bee and Fox Miraculouses, accepting the Turtle Miraculous from Master Fu's outstretched hand. "Thank you, Master." Marinette smiled, holding the three jewels close as she slipped them into her pockets. She stood up, heading for the door. She only stopped when Master Fu called to her.

"Tell Adrien I wish him well as he takes on the burden of being Ladybug." Master Fu bowed, still smiling gently.

"Yes, I will." Marinette promised, closing the door behind her.

At that moment, Plagg flew towards her from the kitchen, a piece of Camembert squeezed tightly between his paws. "Perfect timing, right?"

"Yes, Plagg." She laughed, opening her purse. "Perfect timing."

"Good." Plagg grunted, nestling down in the purse in a manner that reminded Marinette of…well…a cat!

Marinette headed downstairs, holding the box carefully lest she drop it.

Adrien stopped messing with his bangs when she appeared, waving a little. "What's in the box?"

"Miraculouses." Marinette informed him, putting the box underneath her arm. "I'm supposed to give them out to people around the world."

"They aren't like the Fox and Turtle and stuff, right?" Adrien asked, frowning at the box like it had kicked a puppy.

Marinette forced herself not to laugh, and just shook her head. "I'll only give out Miraculouses that we've never used before to the people of different nations. But, yeah, I also have the other three Miraculouses to give to Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Queen Bee so they can help you while I'm gone."

Adrien snapped his fingers, smiling at her in joy. "That's my girl." After a second, he frowned. "Wait, all three of them?"

"Is there a problem?" Marinette asked, taking his arm with her free hand and pulling him.

"Yeah. Why do I need all three of them?"

"You won't have all three of them at the same time, silly cat. They can take shifts fighting akumas with you. It'll be good practice for you – I mean _Mister Bug_ – to learn how to work with a team." Marinette shrugged, letting him take the lead as he graciously led her from the building.

"Hmm. Fair point." Adrien hesitantly admitted, sighing gently. "When will you have time to distribute them, though."

Marinette froze, eyes widening in horror. "Oh."

"Marinette~" Adrien groaned, impersonating Alya's exasperated tone. "You gotta think these things through. Be more like Ladybug!"

Marinette gave him a look, full of exasperation. "Really?"

Adrien just chuckled, offering her his hand once again.

(:)

"Goodbye, Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng!" Adrien waved, disappearing from the bakery with a last smile.

"You got a fine man with that one." Sabine nodded in approval, nudging her daughter with a soft grin.

"You really did, sweetie!" Tom encouraged, wrapping a fond arm around her. "I thought you'd always get with that Chat Noir fellow, though."

 _If only he knew._ Marinette chuckled inwardly. "He's only got eyes for Ladybug, remember?" Marinette pointed out, shrugging. "I'm fine with what the outcome was."

"Still." Tom shrugged, not really heeding her words.

"I'm going to head up early." Marinette hummed, walking up to her room. "I had dinner while I was out with Adrien."

"Well, dear, sleep well!" Her mother called, waving goodbye to her. "Set your alarm clock for three-thirty."

"Yes, ma'am!" Marinette disappeared up the stairs, running up the stairs as fast as she could.

The moment she was in her room, she opened her desk drawer and pulled out some camembert, opening her purse.

Plagg, free from the comfy entrapment, jumped upwards, sniffing out the cheese eagerly.

Marinette tossed it in the air, and he gobbled it down, eyeing her with distrust. "You're going to transform, aren't you?"

"You can have more camembert if you cooperate." Marinette smirked, laughing at his expression.

"Fiiine…" Plagg complained, positioning herself next to her ring.

Funny thing was, Alya once saw it and figured that it was a promise ring, positive that she and Adrien were 'engaged to be engaged'. It took a while to talk the blogger out of her excitement, and Alya, of course, was obviously disappointed.

"Claws out!" Marinette called, shaking herself out of the memory.

Plagg soared into her ring, and she summoned her black and lime-green suit.

As Lady Noir, she pushed the box of spare Miraculouses into her suitcase. She pulled usual back up ones and tucked them underneath her left arm. Staff in hand, she went onto the skylight, angling herself towards Alya's house.

She extended her baton, soaring into the sky. Leaning back, she did a perfect flip midair, laughing as her hair blew in the breeze. She had recently saw why Adrien preferred being Chat Noir to his normal life; it was more carefree out here. The miraculous of the black cat, AKA Plagg, effected the way she saw the world. It was better to free then caged up.

It didn't take long – way too short for her suddenly change taste – for her to arrive at Alya's house.

She looked inside the window cautiously, frowning carefully as she glanced around.

The reporter was already laying in bed, turned away from the window, the blanket wrapped messily around her shoulders. Thank God.

Lady Noir stubbornly told herself _not_ to question why Alya was in bed so early, the girl was usually a knight owl.

Lady Noir opened the window gently, slipping inside. She put the box that she knew contained the Fox Miraculous onto Alya's desk, nodding at her best friend as she left, watching the young blogger's steady breathing for a second more. This would be the last time she saw her for the next nine weeks in person, and she hadn't even talked to her.

The superheroine steeled herself, taking a deep breath as she leaped away hurriedly.

One down, two to go.

She was pretty lucky that Nino was in Alya's neighborhood. In fact, the two of them had met before school even started.

Lady Noir jumped into Nino's room easily, a bit confused when she saw that the boy was also sleeping. His younger brother, who shared a room with the DJ, was missing from the room, and Lady Noir sighed. Gently, she put the turtle-box on Nino's pillow, so that when he awoke the first thing he saw was the familiar box.

Next stop; Chloe's house.

Lady Noir vaulted off of the building, heading for the Eiffel Tower, which was actually how she found her way about town. She didn't have all the locations of everything memorized, even after three and a half years, and the most famous Parisian landmark was her best way at remembering the general directions of the other landmarks, like the Mayor's hotel. (Which was where Chloe lived.)

Lady Noir took a deep breath in the cold air. It was…it was nice. This was the last time she would grab this piece of metal that she hung off of several times, mostly when she was taking a deep breath in a moment of pure peace, but once during Volpina.

Lady Noir snickered at the memory, remembering the days she didn't know Chat Noir's identity. It seemed like such a distant timeline.

Lady Noir jumped off of the bar, using her baton to propel herself towards Chloe's house.

It took her half the time it usually did as Ladybug. Long ago, Adrien and she had figured out that people with the black cat miraculous were faster and stronger then the Ladybug Miraculous.

Lady Noir could see Chloe pacing her room, on the phone will someone. Most likely Sabrina.

Chloe's face was pinched in annoyance, shaking her blond hair, which wasn't in her usual ponytail. Instead, it was curled around her shoulders.

Lady Noir knocked three times on the glass, drawing Chloe's attention.

The blonde looked at the window, an expression of pure boredom upon her face. The very moment her eyes connected with the heroine, she began to gape, dropping her phone on the floor.

She scrambled to pick her device up, talking into it, probably a farewell, then she ran toward the window, throwing it open. "Lady Noir! What are _you_ doing here?"

"Are you disappointed that a super heroine came to pay you a visit?" Lady Noir teased, raising an eyebrow I a challenge, grinning at the flabbergasted girl.

"W-well… no…but, I was expecting Ladybug or Mister Bug or someone else! Not…you." Chloe frowned, scowling slightly. "Why do the henchmen always visit instead of them?"

"Maybe they're busy elsewhere." Lady Noir shrugged, smiling slightly. "But if you don't want this…" She giggled the box in Chloe's face.

"Of course I do!" Chloe snatched the box from Lady Noir's hand, holding it to her breast. "But what's the mission?"

"Help and protect Mister Bug. Ladybug will retrieve it from you when your job is done." Lady Noir assured the bossy teenager.

"Do I go now?"

"No. There's not an akuma right now, but I expect you to help when there is one."

Chloe obviously recognized her voice, frowning hesitantly. "You sound like Ladybug when you talk like that."

Lady Noir graced the girl with a wink, wondering if that was a good enough hint.

Judging by the shocked, almost horrified expression on Chloe's face. "Whaaaaat?"

"It's pretty hush-hush." Lady Noir put a finger to her lips, smiling the way she had seen Chat grin countless times.

"No. Way." Chloe was already spacing out, her blue eyes widening in shock. "Does that mean Mister Bug is Chat Noir?"

"Hush-hush." Lady Noir reminded her pointedly, jumped to the railing on the edge of the balcony outside of Chloe's window.

"That is so weird." Chloe mused, before remembering the box in hand. She looked down at it.

When Lady Noir jumped into the night, Chloe was opening it, squealing with excitement when Pollen began to shimmer into view.

As Lady Noir swung back to her house, happiness – and maybe a bit of nostalgia – swelling in her chest, as she looked through the town for a final time. Her town, her city, Paris, tall and majestic.

She loved this famous capital, and she had done and would do everything in her power to protect it and ensure that her boyfriend would guard it, too.

Lady Noir detransformed as she jumped onto her balcony, already moving toward her skylight as she hummed.

Plagg grumbled, flying into his stinky bed. He curled into it, snacking on the wheel of camembert that Marinette put near him, sleepily yawning.

"I know just how you feel." Marinette sighed, setting her alarm for three-thirty as she pulled on her pajamas and curled into her warm, cuddly blankets.


	6. Chapter 6

**I just learned that Red Bug's name is actually – by cannon rules – Mister Bug. I will be editing everything so that it matches properly.**

 **(:)**

 **I just realized how bad I am at writing kisses. *slinks into corner to die***

 **(:)**

 **Well. I just realized how quickly the second part of this chapter goes. Oh, well. Actually, it's the part I wanted to write most of the entire book, so…yeah. That's why it's speedy; I wanted to get to that part.**

 **(:)**

 **Guest Review responses:**

 **Tabbycat; Thank you! There will be more! Here's more! I've just been…well, there's been a lot on my plate recently. Sorry for the late chapter!**

 **Guest; Thank you so much! Here it is! *trumpets***

 **(:)**

 **Enjoy all ye all! Sorry for it arriving, like, two months after the last chapter. I feel really embarrassed. Well, let's get on with it, eh?**

 **(:)**

"Marinette will be here soon!" Alya squealed, pacing back and forth in front of the two boys, Adrien and Nino exchanging a look. "Just imagine her face when she sees us! She's going to be so surprised! This is better then her fourteenth birthday party!"

"Wasn't that crushed by Befana?" Adrien snorted, shaking his head.

"Yeah, but in the end, it turned out amazing!" Alya gushed, still pacing. "According to her, Chat Noir even saved her, so they hung out together!"

"Chill, Alya! Yeah, she's going to be surprised, but only if she can't hear you!" Nino soothed, laughing slightly at his girlfriend's flustered face.

"Right!" Alya forced herself to sit down, fiddling with the fox-tail-shaped necklace that Adrien had never noticed her wearing before. "I just really want the surprise to be perfect!"

"Of course, it will be!" Nino promised, slinging his arm around Alya's shoulders. "We made sure of it!"

"We checked when her flight began boarding and when it left…" Adrien began checking off on his fingers, grinning. "We asked her parents to tell us when she arrived at the airport…we're waiting at the proper gate…there's no way we're going to miss her, trust me!"

"What do you think her first reaction is gonna be when she sees us? She doesn't expect us to see her off." Nino pondered worriedly out of the blue, the first traces of doubt showing on his face.

"She's going to love it!" Adrien promised, fondly wagging his head at his best friend.

"She sure will! She's going to be a stammering, clumsy mess at first, but then she's going to laugh it off and love it!" Alya squealed, hopping up and down.

"She did tell us we didn't need to come, though." Nino frowned, remembering the tetrad's conversation several weeks prior when they had asked her if she wanted to see her off.

"That's why it's a surprise." Alya snorted, rolling her eyes.

The three of them quieted, imagining Marinette's flustered face and giggled, shaking their heads. Yeah, she was going to be surprised.

"I can see her!" Alya squeaked, and the three of them simultaneously stood up, waving at her excitedly.

Marinette didn't notice at first – after all, who would be here to greet her? Her parents had to leave right after she got her baggage checked in due to the bakery, and her class and her were meeting up in Rome – but after a second of hesitation, she took note of the trio of teenagers waving to her excitedly, approaching rapidly.

"G-guys! What-?! How-?! Why-why're you h-here?" She gasped, nearly dropping her purse in surprise.

"Surprise!" Alya called, throwing her arms around her best friend's neck.

"I'm absolutely surprised!" Marinette gaped, hugging her friend back as she kept up her surprised stare. "But why are you guys here?"

"To see you off, of course." Adrien grinned, pulling her from Alya's death-grip and into his arms. "Do you really think I'd let my girlfriend and these guys' closest friend go off into another country without a farewell committee?"

Marinette shrugged weakly, smiling at them. "How'd you even wake up this early? I know for a fact, Alya, that it's almost impossible to drag you out of bed."

"I went to bed early, because I love my BFF!" Alya chuckled, squeezing Marinette as she nuzzled the top of her hair playfully.

"Hey, only I get to snuggle with Marinette!" Adrien protested, pulling his girlfriend form Alya's grasp and hugged her close.

"No fair, dude! I was interested in her first!" Nino whined, struggling to get to Marinette.

"Oh, like, three years ago? She's my girlfriend!"

"She was my best friend before she was your friend!" Alya complained, wrapping her arm around the waist of Marinette.

"So? She's still my girlfriend!"

"I won't see the dudette for nine weeks, and I knew her before she knew both of you!" Nino argued defensively, and Marinette laughed at their antics.

"Guys, as much as I like playing the part of a sack of potatoes, I'm free to be hugged by all of you." She giggled, reaching over and grabbing all of them in a bone-crushing hug. After a second of squeezing, she released, allowing all three of them a breath of fresh air.

"I'd be lying…" Adrien gasped, tugging at the collar around his neck as he struggled for air. "…if I said I was worried about you…but I'm reassured now…"

"Me too…" Alya groaned, collapsing on the nearest chair.

"I did that to prove a point." Marinette smirked, cracking her knuckles. "There's enough of me to go around, so you don't have to fight."

"If that's how hard Marinette can hug, imagine how strong Mr. Dupain-Cheng can." Nino contemplated, pinching the bridge of his nose at the thought.

Adrien visibly shuddered; he had been hugged at least twice by her father, and neither time had been very…relaxed. He had been relieved to breathe after every hug. Tom could really pack a hug.

"Marinette gets her strength from her father, and her looks from her mom." Alya smiled, shoving the glasses further up her nose. "For all we know, she could grow to the size of her father. It's never been really clear who she inherited her size from."

"I would rather not imagine Marinette the size of a bear." Nino grumbled, eyeing the blue-haired girl skeptically.

"Okay, okay, you three can discuss my size after I vanish on my trip." Marinette laughed, shaking her head. "Plane leaves in fifteen minutes."

"Aw, already?" Alya complained, giving Marinette a one-sided hug.

"Already!" Marinette nodded, glancing at the time. "I should probably be boarding soon, anyway."

"We'll miss you!" Adrien whined, wrapping his arms around both girls.

"I'll miss you most!" Nino cried, jumping off of his chair on top of all three of them.

" _Huff_ …Nino! Get off!" Adrien wheezed, releasing the girls and stumbling back.

Nino slipped off of the tops of everyone, laughing his head off.

Marinette pulled Adrien close to her, narrowing her eyes as she hissed quietly into his ear; "You can't even handle a dogpile? How are you supposed to defend Paris?"

"I'm offended." Adrien deadpanned, scoffing at her.

Marinette rolled her eyes, backing away.

Alya and Nino, oblivious to their little exchange, smiled at the two of them.

"Alright, group photo!" Alya commanded, yanking them over as she fished out her phone and posed for a selfie.

The other three crowded in with her, beaming at the camera.

 _*Click*_

"That's a keeper!" Alya laughed, pulling them into a huge hug. "I'm gonna miss you, Marinette!"

"You've said that already!" Marinette giggled, pulling herself from their grip. "I'm going to be fine, guys, and we'll video chat all the time, alright? We'll text and talk on our phones…"

"Text us the moment you get to Rome!"

"Of course!" Marinette beamed, turning away to leave for the gate.

"Wait, no goodbye kiss?" Adrien complained, grabbing her arm in desperation.

"Really? In front of Alya and Nino?" Marinette rolled her eyes, letting him pull her to him.

"Don't mind us." Nino shrugged, a smug grin crossing his face.

"We won't." Adrien promised, at the same time Marinette proclaimed, "We will."

They glanced at each other, frowning at each other's disagreement.

"They're literally staring at us." Marinette scoffed, glaring at her eagle-eyed friends.

"Who cares?" Adrien laughed, leaning towards her. "I won't see you for nine weeks, and I don't get a goodbye kiss just because our two idiot friends are staring at us?"

Marinette paused at that, chuckling lightly. "Point taken."

Marinette leaned towards him, gazing into his immpecible, green eyes. How she had never guessed he was Chat Noir, she would never know. Their eyes were exactly alike in color.

"I don't know how I never guessed who you were, M'lady." Adrien whispered, voicing her thoughts.

Marinette smiled. "We were oblivious dorks, weren't we?"

Then their lips were pressed together, eyes closed.

Right then, they were just two teenagers madly in love, and not only Hawkmoth could end that.

They broke apart, beaming at each other happily as they squeezed each other's hands.

"We were." Adrien confirmed quietly, smiling at her joyfully.

 _"Last call for Flight 42. Last call for Flight 42."_ The announcer called, startling Adrien and Marinette from their lovey-dovey world.

"Oh! I…I have to go."

"Yeah."

"Bye!" Marinette waved to the three of them, rushing for her gate and barely managing not to trip over her own feet. She knew that, if she stayed with Adrien for one more minute, she wouldn't have brought herself to leave. "I love you all!"

"Bye, Marinette!"

"We love you, Marinette!"

"Stay safe, girl!"

As everyone cried their final greetings after Marinette, a feeling of dread crept in over Adrien.

She was leaving; not to be with him for an entire nine weeks. He – as in, both Mister Bug and Adrien – was totally and utterly doomed.

(:)

Rome, Italy. One of the most popular cities in Italy, second only to Venice.

Home to amazing art and stunning fashions, and…apparently, pushy people. Even at six in the morning.

Three minutes after Marinette left the airport, someone brushed past her so quickly that she was sprawled on the ground within an instant.

She had enough clumsiness of her own that made her fall down, thank you very much. She did not need the extra help.

When she regained her footing, she whipped out her phone to snag a picture of the pushing people around her, and then sent a quick group text to Alya, Nino, and Adrien.

 ** _Arrived safely at Rome! At least, I think it's Rome. Kinda hard to tell with all these people._**

 ** _I'm pretty sure, with all the pushing that's happening, that my clumsiness will increase tenfold!_**

Marinette laughed lightly to herself at that, turning back to the bustling people. All she needed to do was make her way to the main road, where she could hopefully get a Taxi, and, from there, make it to the hotel where her group was supposed to meet up. (By noon the day after tomorrow.)

Now that she thought about it, she only had to get somewhere secluded, and she could transform.

Then she could get to the hotel herself, since the Taxi driver, most likely, wouldn't know French. And she didn't know Italian.

…yeah. Lady Noir was probably the best way to go.

Marinette shifted the bags on her arms, staring ahead as she busily tried to push her way through the onlookers. She needed to find an ally, a photo booth, or something. Somewhere that she could transform in!

After ten minutes of walking in what felt like an endless line, she finally found the perfect hidey-hole just off the streets. It was too small to be regarded as an ally, but too large to be referred to as a cranny.

Marinette slipped right into it easily, waving Plagg from her purse. "Let's go, Plagg."

Plagg's eyes narrowed, and he scoffed. "There better by plenty of camembert in it for me to waste my energy for a worthless run."

"Whole bag of it!" Marinette jostled the bags in her hand, then frowned. "I know it works for my backpack…but will my transformation fold over my suitcase so I don't need to hold it?"

"No. Since you're not wearing it. Your bags will disappear, but not your suitcase. Any other questions with obvious answers?"

"Nope; you're good. Plagg; claws out!"

There was something comforting about transforming in a foreign place, like reminding herself somethings wouldn't change. Even if she was doing it with a Kwami that wasn't as familiar as her old one.

Lady Noir finished changing into her costume, the familiar fabrics doing away with her bags and only leaving her suitcase.

Then, she leaped upwards, and, in a single bound, found herself on the roof of the building. Actually, looking down, the streets weren't nearly as far apart as she would have thought. It's just a lot of people.

Tucking her suitcase easily under one arm, she began running across buildings, keeping her eyes peeled for any suspicious behavior. After all, even if she wasn't Italy's resident hero, she could still be there for them.

Actually, now that she thought about it, she had no idea where the hotel was. Maybe she'd be on the streets longer then she thought.

On her Baton, Lady Noir dialed in the hotel name, beaming slightly to herself. The Colosseum was right nearby the hotel, and, since she didn't have it in her to settle down right then – too excited – why not spend her time looking at the landmarks? It would probably be fun.

With that thought in mind, Lady Noir followed the directions her baton gave her to the Colosseum, leaping along easily.

Finally, after several minutes, it came into view, tall and proud amongst the buildings.

Stepping onto the top of the monument for the first time, Lady Noir gazed out across the town surrounding them, early-rising tourists packed along the sides of the landmark.

Turning around, Lady Noir found that the center of the Colosseum a ring of bronze statues, probably important people in Roman history. Wanting a closer look and wondering why tourists weren't gazing at it from every which way, Lady Noir jumped down off of her perch.

Lading down in the circular area, Lady Noir stared up at the statues before her in awe. Every single on resembled Miraculous Holders from around the world.

Arising above them all were bronze renderings of Ladybug and Chat Noir – obviously still the most popular of all superheroes, even in Italy – and those were surrounded by five other statues.

Among these, Lady Noir could make out Rena Rouge's face in the dim light, and a male face she couldn't quite recognize. It wasn't Carapace, the figure lacked the hood and instead wore messy hair across his scalp. Replacing the jade hero's shield, two wings were draped across the boy's back.

With a jolt of realization, Lady Noir realized that it was Blue Jay, the male protector of Rome.

Huh.

"Claws in." Lady Noir commanded, easily catching Plagg as he fell from her ring. "Here's some Camembert."

"I love you." Plagg announced, admiring the cheese. "Adrien better marry you. Or he's dead to me."

Marinette laughed, patting Plagg's head. "Oh, whatever."

As Plagg munched happily, Marinette left her suitcase on the edge of the monument and began to walk around the statues.

Circling around, Marinette gazed up at the next statue; a teenager girl beaming down at the statues beneath her, as smug as she could be. A line weaved itself around her in an ornate pattern, dividing her in two. On the larger section, she was dressed a rat, tail weaving in between her legs, ears tilted slightly in a curious way. On the small side, only bits and pieces were revealed. Her hair, on that side, seemed to have a wind blowing it, the strands swirling around her face. No details except for how smooth and simple everything was could be seen, everything on that side of the costume alarmingly plain.

Obviously, the larger portion of this heroine was Ratette, Blue Jay's sidekick and – supposedly – sister. The other section…had to be of her, also, but in a different costume.

How odd.

Continuing around, Marinette recognized the next statue immediately. It was, obviously, Queen Bee. And then, finally, between her and Rena Rouge was Carapace.

Beneath those five stood many other statues, such as the heroes from Seattle and Russia, and the others Ladybug had enlisted every once and a while.

Besides, in the mix of all the statues, there was an empty spot for many more, once more became known.

As Marinette stood there admiring the sculptor's skill, she heard a tiny noise behind her, followed by a "Hey! Who're you?"

Marinette started, her eyes mistakenly landing on a sign pinned on the side of the Colosseum. _No Trespassing._

Shoot. She was probably not supposed to be here.

"You're not supposed to be here!"

Yeeeep. She should probably turn around.

"Turn around!"

Now that a stranger was telling her to do things, she suddenly didn't want to do them. Of course, her brain only told her one thing; Run. So, she did.

Plagg luckily had enough sense to hide the moment the person cried out to them, so it was only a matter of quickly waving him out before she could transform. "Plagg, claws out." She hissed for the second time that day. She donned her transformation, hearing the person – (people?) – behind her let out noises of surprise, but she didn't listen, already jumping onto the nearest building.

Every instinct in her mind was telling her to run, and she heeded it well.

However, she wouldn't have run if she had expected what was going to happen next. But she didn't; so she did run.

Lady Noir made her way across three buildings before she felt a strong wind beating her from behind. Confused, she turned her head for half a second and immediately gasped. What looked like a huge bat was following her, catching up easily.

Lady Noir put everything she had into running away, but, of course, it wasn't fast enough. "Runrunrunrunrun!" She urged herself on, but even whispered words of encouragement didn't help.

She turned her attention ahead, just in time to leap off of the edge to the nest building. In those few milliseconds, she realized a few things.

1# The person yelling at her earlier sounded really young and was – obviously – a female.

2# She was 93.7% certain that Italy didn't have child/teenager police officers, meaning she hadn't needed to run.

3# There was no such thing as human-sized, flying bats. Which meant one of two things. Option uno; She was wrong. There were such things as human-sized bats. Option dos; It was a Miraculous holder.

4# How did she understand the girl?! Last time she checked, nobody in Italy went around yelling commands in French. Usually it was Italian.

5# She spent too long thinking. Someone had her by the collar of her suit.

…Fiddle-sticks.

"Ah, a new cat burglar. I must say, you guys are really taking this to the next level with costumes. Doesn't make you original." A new, masculine voice spoke from above, lowering her onto a rooftop while still holding firmly onto her.

"B-J! You caught her!" The female voice from before proclaimed.

"Sorry, Ra-ra. Did you want to catch her?"

"No, no, you're good. I am a bit surprised by her jumping abilities. Last I checked, only you and I could do that."

Well. That just confirmed Ladybug's suspicions. She had messed up, and, now, she was in the claws of Ratette and Blue Jay.

How was she going to talk her way out of this one? Aw, if only Adrien were here. He'd be able to smooth over this whole thing so easily.

"I'm sorry, but, are you Ratette and Blue Jay?" Lady Noir asked, cocking her ears as she tried to twist her head around to see them. She failed.

Dead silence.

Finally both of them spoke, talking over one another.

"Duh! Who else would it be?" Ratette quipped, scoffing slightly.

"That depends on who's asking." Blue Jay growled at the same time, cueing another awkward silence in which the two probably glared at each other.

"Well, you two, take a good look at this." Lady Noir held up her hand, showing off her ring at an angle where she hoped they could see it. "Can you tell me what this is?"

"Uh…an engagement ring? That glows?"

"Honestly, B-J, how are you the smart one in our family? It's obviously a Miraculous. That glows."

"Yep." Lady Noir confirmed, nodding. "So…can you please let me go?"

"No."

"Blue Jay, she's one of us!"

"Then what was she doing at the Ring of Heroes? Everyone knows that's not open to the public. Yet. Also, what is her Miraculous's animal, Ra-ra? Answer that."

"Really? Have you ever watched the French news? That's obviously Lady Noir! I didn't recognize her at first, but her ring totally gives her away! Second; maybe she didn't know?"

"The place is filled with 'No Trespassing' signs! How could she not know?"

"Where I come from," Lady Noir began, arching an eyebrow. "Heroes get to go almost wherever they like. Even on places closed to the public. Also, we exchange a kind 'hello' before we go trying to kill one another."

"Yeah, well, things are different here. I'm not sure if I trust you, Miss-Runaway." Blue Jay snarled, finally releasing the collar of her shirt.

Lady Noir stumbled away, frowning at him. "It's sound so cool if I said it back, but, ironically, I do trust you. Because you guys will do anything for this town, and I respect that."

Blue Jay snarled at her, but Ratette stepped up, cocking her head.

"Hey, what in the world are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in France? Helping Mister Bug?" Ratette asked, squinting her eyes at Lady Noir.

"I'm here due to a—"

She was cut off by a shrill beeping, her eyes going to its source immediately.

Blue Jay clamped his hand around his bracelet, frowning angrily. "That'd be my cue to leave. Stupid flight powers…stupid bracelet…" He went to the edge of the building, looking over his shoulder at the two girls. "Ra-ra, get… _Lady Noir_ 's suitcase from where she ditched it at the Colosseum. Then bring her over to…our hangout."

"Like, the yummy one, or the tall one?"

"What? You know, I don't want to know, just…The café. Take her to the café."

"So, the yummy one."

"Oh for—" Blue Jay shook his head and leaped off of his perch, into the street below.

"Wait, isn't that dangerous? Detransforming in the middle of a throng of people?" Lady Noir asked curiously, tilting her head.

"Surprisingly not. People are _dense_." Ratette shrugged, then smiled. "Com'n, let's get your stuff."

Lady Noir doubtfully followed the younger, happier girl, who skipped along at an alarmingly quick pace.

"Do you have a hoodie or something?" Ratette finally said, glancing at her worriedly. "It'd be pretty weird to enter the café as a superhero. Especially a French one. And…um…hoodie will kinda disguise you more. And we can't know your identity."

"Good idea. And I do. You can never be too prepared, you know?" Lady Noir shrugged, landing down a split second after Ratette, both girls staring at her suitcase.

"Alright, you better hurry up. B-J is going to be _very_ impatient."

"I'm actually surprised I bumped into you two so quick. I was expecting it to take several days to track you both down."

"You were looking for us?" Ratette tilted her head, frowning in thought.

"I-I was! I was…um…sent by Ladybug to…um… aw, who am I kidding? I'm supposed to check in with you guys. See if you need backup. Also, my best friend told me to take pictures of you guys, so I guess I'm supposed to do that." Lady Noir shrugged, standing up with a black hoodie in hand. "And what's up with your brother? He does know I actually rank higher then him in the whole 'super-hero gig', right?"

"Oh, my brother? He's always like that. If I disappear for literally fifteen minutes he expects foul play. I think it's mostly a joke, but his tone is so blank that I can never tell when he is." Ratette shrugged, flipping her brown hair behind her.

Now that she wasn't getting chased, Lady Noir could get a good look at the heroine.

She was young-looking, but she carried a certain energy around her that made her seem a bit older. Lady Noir decided she was sixteen, seventeen at most.

She had three black whiskers on each cheek, and a light grey, narrow mask covering the area round her eyes. Tiny grey ears perched on her head, and a pink ribbon held together her hair, the top half of which was pulled into a pony tail while the bottom section ran free. She wore a grey dress, black leggings, and pink gloves, as well as a pink belt which a real rat tail spawned from. Her boots were grey, too, though the toes were pink.

"What's your Miraculous?" Lady Noir asked suddenly, eyes landing on the necklace sitting in the middle of Ratette's chest. Dumb question.

"My necklace! It gives me the power of shrinking." Ratette held it up to the light, revealing the grey jewel, the pink gem in the center making it shimmer beautifully. "And yours is your ring, right? Power of destruction?"

"That's right." Lady Noir held out her hand again, letting Ratette gush over it for a second, then withdrew it. "Anyway, we should be going to this…café."

"Miracolosa Café!" Ratette beamed, clapping her hands together. "It's a tribute to Miraculous heroes, and their food and drinks surely are just as the name suggest." She stared at Lady Noir for a moment, then confessed; "Quite frankly, I'm a huge fan of Chat Noir. I was horrified when I first learned he was replaced, but I was quickly comforted when I found out it was only temporarily. No offense, of course, but I freaked out."

"Yeah, no offense taken. Nobody could ever replace him. He's one of the best people I've ever met." Lady Noir assured her, then quickly arched an eyebrow. "Wait, how big of a fan?"

"Weeell…I don't have one of those weird celebrity crushes, or any type of crush in general, 'cause he _needs_ to date Ladybug as soon as possible. But I think it's awesome; and I know that Ladybug couldn't do the things she does without him. It's simple team-partnering." Ratette shrugged, then smiled, tilting her head towards Lady Noir. "Trust me, we should get going. Blue Jay'll throw a fit if we're late by even five minutes."

Lady Noir nodded, following the less-experienced super hero. She hoped that she'd somehow gain Blue Jay's trust, and that she would be able to bond with them. She needed to familiar with them; she didn't want to be cast aside as untrustworthy before they even were properly introduced.

(:)

 **Honestly, I hated this chapter. I kinda wanted it to be a while until she met Ratette and Blue Jay, and Lady Noir is OOC, but I guess we can't have it all. *shrugs* until next time!**


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